Chapter 508: Candidates
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Inside the Parliament of n.o.bles in the Nekso Palace.
Torrential rain was pouring outside with deafening thunder and dazzling lightning, as if it were the end of the end, but all the members of the Parliament of n.o.bles in Rentato had been gathered in the hall. White wigs and black capes could be seen everywhere.
Had it not been for the power of the natural lightning, which made the experts below gold knights too scared to fly here, all the members of the Parliament of n.o.bles would’ve been gathered, and it had only been one hour since the Lord summoned King Feltis and Prince Patrick.
Of course, the n.o.bles who could not make it here had also learned from their spokespersons and allies in Rentato remotely and forwarded their opinions.
They had never been more grateful for the Allyn Telephone and the Telegram Company. While the ‘wired phones’ that they promoted were limited to Rentato and the capitals of a few counties because of the complicated infrastructure and the huge cost that came with it, it was the only means of communication for the n.o.bles who were unable to deploy and use expensive teleportation arrays in such weather. Many n.o.bles decided to help with the promotion after witnessing its advantages.
“How was the prince summoned by the Lord?” Count Henson took a hot bath in the restroom in the Parliament of n.o.bles and changed his clothes and wig. It was not until then that he was finally freed from shock. He put on a white paper flower and seated himself in the front row, asking James, Duke of Paphos, Russell, Duke of Wolfburg, and Viscount Harrison, who had come after informing the Congress of Magic.
The four of them were the leaders of the Liberal group apart from Prince Patrick. They had to reach a consensus first, or the n.o.bles on their side would lose confidence.
Duke James put on a white wig in the Parliament of n.o.bles to cover his bald head. He said sullenly, “I don’t know, either. It already happened when Russell and I came to Nekso Palace. We examined the prince’s body and discovered no anomaly. It was indeed a body collapsed caused by overwhelming grief. I don’t think anybody could’ve a.s.sa.s.sinated him when he was protected by His Excellency Kritonia.”
Kritonia, ‘Heart of Time’, was one of the two legendary knights of Holm. In the whole world, there could only be no more than five knights who could reach level three of legendary, he and Rudolf II were among them. As for the legendary knights who reached the peak of legendary, apart from the monsters such as Prince Dracula, Prince Abyss, and the lord of the first level of h.e.l.l, there was only one among human beings, who was Saint Melmax, the captain of the Temple Knights and a member of the Grand Cardinal.
Although he claimed that no a.s.sa.s.sinations could’ve happened under Kritonia, James did not seem certain of it at all.
“His Excellency Kritonia was a hero in the War of Dawn and a legendary knight who crushed the Magic Empire’s reign in Holm together with the late king. However, he is approaching the end of his life. He needs to consider and arrange more things than ordinary people do.” Duke Russell said expressionlessly, “He cannot observe the situation as quietly as His Excellency Winston of the Solefen family.”
Winston, ‘Night Walker’, was the other legendary knight of Holm, who was now supervising the kingdom’s colonies in a few alternate dimensions.
Viscount Harrison sneered, “I, for one, don’t believe that the prince pa.s.sed away because of grief.”
Harrison, Henson and the rest of them knew that Patrick had been a crown prince for four decades. It was inevitable that there was a conflict of power between the prince and the king. The two of them hadn’t been intimate since a long time ago, particularly when their ideologies differed greatly. The n.o.bles might’ve believed it if Patrick’s body collapsed because of ecstasy.
“With everything coming to this point, we need to forget our grief and focus on two things. Firstly, we need to ask the sorcerers of the Congress of Magic to investigate the prince’s death in private. Secondly, we carry out our backup plan and support David to a.s.sume the throne.” After Count Henson calmed down, his blue eyes became sharp again.
Patrick had always been in poor condition. The liberal n.o.bles had been prepared that he would die earlier than the king. Therefore, they were not panicked after they pa.s.sed the initial shock and panic.
David’s father was King Feltis’ cousin, as well as Archmage Morris’ nephew and student. Although he had died in an adventure, David, a grand knight, was completely inclined to the Liberal in daily life as well as in official affairs under his father’s tutelage. He was the most suitable candidate of the royal family for the liberal n.o.bles. Also, his bloodline was very close. According to the law of n.o.bles, he was the fourth heir on the list.
“Okay.” Duke James nodded heavily and informed the other liberal n.o.bles of the result of their discussion.
A moment later, Rex, ‘King’s Griffin’, the president of the Parliament of n.o.bles who wore a blue cape and a white wig, walked in, followed by a black-haired, smiling man whose silver grey eyes told everyone unmistakably that he belonged to the Hoffenberg family.
“Gordon!” The liberal n.o.bles became solemn.
Duke James couldn’t have looked more awful. “Didn’t he claim that he would serve the Lord for his life? Didn’t he quit the Sword of Truth’s Knights and go to Lance, the Holy City, to join the Temple Knights?”
“A level-eight radiant knight no more than 50, the Torn Sword…” Duke Russell and Viscount Harrison whispered gravely.
Noise echoed in the hall. The other n.o.bles, be they liberals or conservatives, began to whisper to each other. Count Gordon was a genius and an eccentric of the Hoffenberg family. He became a radiant knight when he was only 35 years old. He was appointed as the deputy captain of the Sword of Truth’s Knights by King Feltis. However, as a pious believer, he went to the Holy City at 40 and joined the Temple Knights.
His bloodline was much further from King Feltis than David’s was. However, his rank as a radiant knight was influential enough to raise his right of succession to be on par with David. While the Hoffenberg family was not unpopulated, most of its members were more distant in bloodline, or were not knights, or they had already embarked on the path of magic, thereby forfeiting their qualification.
Duke James and the other liberals thought that Rex would support Alex, his nephew who had just activated the bloodline of ‘Sword of Truth’. Then, in terms of strength or blood connection, David would inherit the throne without suspense. n.o.body expected that Gordon would come back.
As the mallet knocked the table ahead, the hall of the Parliament of n.o.bles immediately fell quiet.
Rex drew a cross on his chest and said sorrowfully, “Our great king, His Majesty Feltis, and our honorable crown prince, His Highness Patrick were summoned by the Lord an hour ago. Let’s have a moment of silence and pray that they be favored by the Lord on Mountain Paradise.”
James and the other n.o.bles stood up and drew crosses in the quiet and grievous atmosphere.
Five minutes later, Rex hinted that everybody should sit down and turned tough. “Because His Highness Patrick, heir of the kingdom, has also been summoned by the Lord, without leaving any children, the Parliament of n.o.bles will elect an heir according to the law. The election will be based on the right of succession, on the premise that they are blessed by the Lord.”
By ‘blessed by the Lord’, he meant that a Grand Cardinal would come to host the ceremony of inheritance.
Rex did not allow the n.o.bles to speak. Pointing at Gordon who was next to him. “The royal family of Holm is in peril after such a strike. Therefore, Count Gordon decided to consider for his family and asked for the Lord’s forgiveness. He quit the Temple Knights and returned through the teleportation array of the Church. He is a level-eight radiant knight and of the purest bloodline of ‘Sword of Truth’. I propose that he should inherit the throne. Please vote by raising your hands.”
“Wait a moment.” James stood up and said loudly, “Under such circ.u.mstances, according to the law, only if more than two thirds of the members agree and none of the nine dukes objects can the elected inherit the throne. Is it the case, President Rex?”
Rex looked at James gloomily, “Yes, and no. When all the other candidates have no more than one fifth of the votes, the last candidate will not need to meet the requirement. In emergencies, the candidate with more than half of the votes will inherit the throne directly. I believe that it is an emergency right now. The throne cannot be left empty.”
“It is not up to you whether or not this is an emergency; it requires everyone’s vote. Now, I propose Count David. He is closer to His Majesty in bloodline and much more ent.i.tled to the throne than Count Gordon. Also, he is a grand knight who has activated the strength of his bloodline.”
James did not speak on the podium but looked around at other n.o.bles on the spot. “I don’t think any member will object to the hereditary hierarchy, right? If anyone agrees to it, then the candidates stronger than his son or his grandson can invoke the example and steal the t.i.tle when they are about to inherit the t.i.tle, right?”
It was the foundation to keep the n.o.bles in fact. Every n.o.ble wanted to leave their t.i.tle to their direct heir. If the strong were free to rob, every family would be filled with a.s.sa.s.sinations and internal strife.
Of course, that was one of the reasons why they succ.u.mbed to the Church. The independent and powerful church could ensure that n.o.body would disregard the rules because of their strength.
A conservative stood up and bowed at everybody courteously, “According to the law, the bloodline abilities are the foundation of n.o.bles, and powerful strength will be considered during inheritance. Considering the strength of a radiant knight, Duke Gordon and Count David are on par. Therefore, electing Count Gordon is not in violation of the law and will not result in the collapse of order.”
“Also, Count David’s father was a sorcerer. We need to consider if he can be blessed by the Lord.”
His brief reply completely resolved James’ attack.
Count Henson stood up with a feather pen. He also bowed around courteously and said, “Just because the father is a sorcerer does not mean that the son is not a devout believer. Count David has never missed any church session and often donates to the Church. Everybody knows his piety well. I believe that the Lord can certainly see it and tolerate it. Count Gordon, on the other hand, once entered the Temple Knights. I find it hard to believe that he will place the interests of Holm before everything else in the future. This is not blasphemy of the Lord but a confusion of the power of the Church and the power of the king.”
At such a moment, he had no time to be subtle but pointed out the confrontation of the two powers.
Gordon raised his hands and smiled, “Speculations are not proof. I believe that I will view the questions of n.o.bles as the king of Holm instead of as a Temple Knight.”
The other liberals and conservations stood and offered their opinions. In the end, Rex said, “Now, a show of hands. Those who agree with Count David, please raise your hands.”
Arms were raised. They did not seem to be many, but they already made up one third. While the liberals were outnumbered by the conservatives, they were more united.
Rex frowned at that as he could not invoke the first special clause now. Thinking for a moment, he proceeded, “Those who agree with Count Gordon, please raise your hands.”
Arms were raised. It did not seem to be a problem that he would have the approval of more than half of the people. Rex began to consider how to make the motion of the state of emergency pa.s.s.
Suddenly, the raising of hands was stopped when there was still not half. Rex looked at Duke Solomon, stunned. The n.o.ble who had a black mustache shook his head, stating that he would not support candidates with distinctive church backgrounds. As a major leader of the conservatives, his att.i.tude directly influenced many other n.o.bles.
Duke James smiled, “President Rex, it seems that we need to discuss and negotiate for a long time.”
Now that Duke Solomon hesitated, he was confident to kick Gordon out through compromises.
Rex fell silent. Looking at the mallet in his hands, he suddenly raised his head, “I will propose another candidate.”
He intended to force Duke Solomon and the rest of them to agree with his proposal with the emergency of the situation, but they were more stubborn than he antic.i.p.ated. He could only activate the backup plan now.
“Who? Who is higher on the hereditary hierarchy than Count David and Count Gordon?” Duke Russell expressed his objection.
Rex replied unhurriedly, “Natasha Violet, Countess of Violet, has activated the bloodline of ‘Sword of Truth’. She is closer to His Majesty than Count David is. Also, she is a radiant knight and a devout believer that can be blessed by the Church.”