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At the top of the round tower, Lark stared in disbelief at a message: "What filthy thing!"
He crushed the message with an impatient look, then looked warily at the message that Prince Ota had sent earlier.
"The round table meeting is about to begin again, and it should be about the agenda of awakening Saint Lena. Pope Brad will definitely show up... It seems I will have to be absent."
"If you find it so troublesome..."
Inside the room, "Darkness" let out a strange laugh and emerged from Lak's shadow: "Let me sneak into the Holy Church and secretly take care of that old guy. Anyway, you said that old guy wouldn't live much longer, right?"
"Don't interfere! That's the most terrifying human saint!" Lak frowned and scolded.
"Since you have so much time on your hands, you might as well figure out a way to gather up your lost essence! Don't drag me down with you if you want to die!"
"Tch, that's not funny at all. I was just kidding." The Abyss Will knew that killing a dying old man was pointless, so it could only sullenly crawl back into Lak's shadow.
"Who told you to spend this time inscribing those filthy runes? It's so tedious it's making me want to vomit. The energy inside is so concentrated that it could even evolve the authority of those Darkborn, let alone suppress a mere, undeveloped hero."
"We must nip it in the bud before it takes shape, and prevent another minotaur from appearing." Lak's expression remained unwavering.
"We're only missing some dark soul essence from the undead. I've had the black magic team collect it overnight. Once Brad leaves the capital, the Hero of Sin will be able to leave his confinement and come to receive the goddess's blessing."
“As for Brad…” Lark’s eyes were full of indifference and contempt.
"What kind of storm can a near-decaying master of artifacts stir up?"
Chapter 192 Who Killed Me
"Your Highness, this won't do...this really won't do..."
In Prince Ota's study, Tus looked distressed.
"If Duke Moss were to be nominated for the Greatest Noble of the Year, it would be the biggest joke in the history of the event!"
“Tus, I understand what you’re saying, but… what I don’t understand is, aren’t these votes cast by ordinary people themselves? How did Moss’s votes get him into the top five for nomination?” Ota sat in front of the study, somewhat helpless.
The laws established by our ancestors must not be changed!
The annual selection of nobles has indeed been intended to cultivate an awareness among nobles to treat commoners well. Otherwise, the lives of the kingdom's citizens would probably be even more difficult, and the tragedies of the dark ages, such as bloodletting, oppression, and exploitation, would likely reappear.
"If we really rigged the votes, that would be a real case of backroom dealing."
“We definitely can’t rig the votes.” Tus shook his head, then quickly came up with an idea: “However, we can reduce the number of nominees this year. Duke Moss is at the end of the list, so we can just announce four or three nominees today.”
"That's all we can do..." Ota said helplessly. Although anyone with eyes could see the trick, this was the best method available.
"I don't know who corrupted Duke Moss's second son, daring to push Moss into this kind of selection!!! Doesn't he know how much chaos this will cause?!" Ota said indignantly.
Tus glanced away somewhat guiltily.
"So be it."
Otta stood up from his desk. This was the last thing he and Tuss had discussed, but compared to the meeting to come, it seemed insignificant.
"The roundtable meeting is about to begin."
……
The heavy, ancient gate opened from one side, and the group of nobles at the round table stood up, all gazing at the imposing and dignified king who slowly walked to the head of the table.
"Pope Brad, how are you feeling?"
Otta immediately offered his condolences to Pope Brad, who was sitting next to him. Seeing how thin Brad had become, as if he hadn't eaten for many days, Otta felt a deep sense of sympathy.
That despicable traitor is truly inhuman! He even harmed Pope Brad to this extent!
"I'm fine, Your Highness, don't worry about me." Brad was wrapped in a thick papal robe, which did little to dispel the chill emanating from his frail body, but it did offer some solace.
"The most important thing now is to keep the meeting going."
Ota understood, nodded, composed himself, and glanced around, having basically grasped the situation of the meeting.
Grand Duke Thanaus and Chief Raque were both unable to attend due to other commitments; both sides had limited energy, so there was nothing that could be done. Duke Moss seemed rather smug today, apparently having gained enough face among the nobles. Scholar Astrid was attending an internal meeting for the first time today, and wait, she seemed to be trembling quite a bit!
"In that case, let's begin the meeting."
For some reason, Ota felt inexplicably uneasy, but he could only control his facial expression and say loudly:
"You are all high-ranking officials of the kingdom, and you must know that the original purpose of inviting Pope Brad back to the capital was to awaken the Ice Saintess, Lena, who was suffering from the backlash."
"Unfortunately, just recently, this carefully planned operation... was once again thwarted by the despicable demons!!!"
"Even Pope Brad suffered serious injuries!"
His tone gradually filled with anger, and the kingdom's high-ranking officials present all trembled.
Even Pope Brad, a powerful saint, was ambushed by the demons? Just how far have the demons infiltrated the human camp?
Suspicious gazes began to drift across the round table. Could it be that a traitor from the demon race had already infiltrated this sacred round table?
Ota's majestic, half-suspicious gaze swept over everyone equally. Almost everyone trembled and their bodies shook under the king's sharp gaze. Ota regretfully withdrew his gaze... He couldn't find any flaws in these people, especially the Astrid scholar, whose body was shaking violently, clearly frightened by the child.
Indeed, if that mole could so easily reveal his weakness, he wouldn't deserve to be his lifelong enemy.
Slowly gathering the distracting thoughts in his mind, Ota could only continue in a deep voice:
“I know we’ve all gotten a little cocky lately thanks to the Dragon Clan’s support, but now… we need to be careful! That traitor’s hand could reach even Pope Brad, who sits comfortably in the Holy Church, so what about you? What about my… uh, my family?”
"We must protect what is most precious in our hearts!!!" Ota's voice became impassioned.
Otta's words, imbued with both affection and conviction, immediately resonated with many. Several dukes nodded in agreement, some expressing admiration: "Prince Otta, even before marriage, possesses such a broad mind. If his daughter were to be chosen by him, it would be a great thing for both her and the ducal family behind her..."
However, these were not the urgent matters to consider at the moment. The kingdom's high-ranking officials, especially the nobles, sat up straight, eager to know Prince Ota's next plan.
"Your Highness, what should we do? Should we invoke the Holy Round Table again to find the traitor?"
Duke Clyde looked at Prince Otta at the head of the round table.
Even as a duke, he was unaware that Otto had secretly used the power of the Holy Round Table once again, but to no avail, and instead the blame was placed on the Astrid scholar.
Ota shook his head: "The power of the Holy Round Table is still accumulating, and at most, it can only provide vague guidance, which is unreliable."
"What we need is to curb the rampant momentum of that mole!"
"According to the discussion between Tus and the Holy Church, the mole must have paid a heavy price for this operation. His recklessness is simply because the pressure we have put on the first line of defense of the demon race has reached a critical point."
A smile gradually spread across Ota's lips: "And this is all thanks to our Kingdom's great scholar, the great scholar Astrid!!!"
"Huh?!"
At the end of the round table, Astrid, with her short, emerald-green hair, suddenly trembled and looked up, tears welling in her eyes.
Respectful gazes converged on her. Faced with so many eyes from the kingdom's high command, Astrid felt... This was terrifying! Her heart was about to explode!
All the grand ambitions she had previously made were swallowed back down. Astrid huddled weakly in the corner, looking pitiful, helpless, and socially awkward.
When will this meeting ever end... Waaah, I want to go home.
For the first time, Astrid thought that the Kingdom Library was actually quite nice, though of course, it would be even better if she could return to the Demon King's Castle.
Even more chilling was that, the next moment, Otto confidently slammed his fist on the table and declared:
"This time, with the help of the Astrid scholars and Pope Brad's wisdom, we will definitely... corner that traitor!!!"
"Ugh! (I'm killing myself)?!"
Chapter 193 Secret Weapon! Super Self-Service!
"Although that traitor is invincible, as if he has the most stringent protection from the demons... we are not without options!"
After Otta finished "awarding" Astrid, he continued with a serious expression:
"Although its operation was successful, it also revealed a flaw. Its willingness to go to such lengths to prevent Saintess Lena from awakening is simply because it wants to prevent us from having the opportunity to break through the Demon Clan's first line of defense."
"But precisely because of this, we can completely target their weaknesses and swap our territories!!!"
"As long as we crush the demon race's first line of defense with overwhelming force, all of that traitor's efforts will be in vain..."
Upon hearing this, everyone present brightened up, realizing that Ota's analysis was indeed correct.
The breach of the first line of defense was not only an effective suppression of the demon territory, but also of great significance to the human side, comparable to the restoration of the border. It meant that for the first time in nearly a thousand years, humanity had completed a counterattack against the demons!
This is a feat that even the Mino Warriors have never accomplished!
The thought that they were all participating in this significant meeting filled everyone with excitement, but also a sense of regret... It was truly a pity that Chief Lak and Grand Duke Glorious were unable to attend this roundtable meeting; otherwise, it would surely have been recorded in history!
“But, Your Highness.” Soon, someone realized the crucial question.
This is also the crux of the problem: "We originally tried to awaken Saint Lena in order to put pressure on the first line of defense; but now that we haven't been able to awaken Saint Lena, how are we going to break through the first line of defense?"
"Really? Isn't that a contradiction?" The high-ranking officials present gradually remembered this question, and their probing gazes all turned to the king at the round table, only to see a calm smile on Ota's face, as if he had long expected someone to ask this question.
"Gentlemen," Otta said, tapping lightly on the round table, his tone brimming with confidence.
"Have you forgotten that there is now a power at our round table that even the demons have somewhat overlooked?"
The senior executives were slightly taken aback, and after a moment's thought...
All eyes turned to Astrid at the end of the round table.
"Huh?!"
Astrid's shoulders trembled.
"Cough, I misread it!" Ota quickly said.
The crowd's gazes then turned to Ota, where the Iron-Blooded Pope Foster Brad, who had cast a shadow over the demon race ten years ago, stood beside him!
"Pope Brad? Is he going to make a move again?!" Everyone was shocked.
They could only sense that the frail old man before them was indeed the most unfathomable figure, possessing terrifying power that they could not even imagine, even after ten years!
“That’s right. Pope Brad’s return is not only the strongest support I’ve prepared for Saintess Lena, but also my hidden trump card for counterattacking the demons!” Ota said in a deep voice, his words revealing a strong sense of killing intent!
The aura of a king instantly enveloped the room, silencing all the nobles.
Who would have thought that this ruler, who had always struggled to maintain stability on the border and acted with a steady and methodical approach, would be so decisive and aggressive in his plans when he saw an opportunity?!
What is even more admirable is Pope Brad, who returned as promised. Despite his advanced age, he still possessed such a resolute will to die!
Countless fervent and respectful gazes fell upon Brad, who sat upright in his seat, and the title of "Iron-Blooded Pope" echoed in everyone's hearts once again!
Brad's expression remained unchanged, though a hint of frustration flashed in his eyes.
To be honest, his original plan was to disappear completely after devouring the Heart of Ice... As for risking his life for the kingdom, only a fool would do that! They wouldn't even give him a destroyed sacred artifact!