"Locke, do you think all of this is orchestrated by His Majesty behind the scenes? That the bastard Count Wexax is just a puppet pushed to the front?" Duke Kems asked.
Now
What surprised Duke Kems and the others was just how decisively Lorist had broken with the
Actually, you could stand with His Majesty and denounce the treasonous acts of Lorist and the Norton Family, you know. Duke Kems said to Duke Shahin and Duke Philim.
We're not idiots. That was the reply from Duke Shahin and Duke Philim. Defect to the Second Prince? It wasn't as if Duke Shahin and Duke Philim hadn't considered it, but knowing the Second Prince's character as they did, once they showed any intention of defecting, they would certainly become the first cannon fodder sent to attack the Norton Family. Compared to the Second Prince, they believed it was safer to stand with Lorist — even if their family forces were completely wiped out, they wouldn't have to worry about being swallowed by the Norton Family. On the contrary, Lorist could even help their families rebuild and thrive.
"Yes," Lorist answered with a dark expression. "You told me that last year, the Snow Salt Trading Company and the Antaio Trading Company clashed over the salt market. You defeated Antaio and cost them nearly a hundred thousand gold Forde. Now think about it — a hundred thousand gold Forde is a devastating blow to any kingdom trading company, enough to leave it crippled for a long time, perhaps even unable to recover. But have you noticed any sign of decline in the Antaio Trading Company?"
"Remember, the Antaio Trading Company isn't one of those old, established companies of the Commercial Alliance with deep reserves. It's a brand-new venture, freshly established by that bastard. And right out of the gate, it provoked a competition with the Snow Salt Trading Company, aiming to monopolize the entire kingdom's salt market. After failing and losing nearly a hundred thousand gold Forde, it didn't seem to matter at all — clearly, someone behind the scenes was footing the bill. And then consider this: right after you won the competitive victory, you were subjected to repeated assassination attempts by a Great Swordmaster. Obviously, those were acts of retaliation. Just as you said, your instinct told you it was orchestrated by the Antaio Trading Company."
"So we can easily draw a conclusion about who the mastermind behind the Antaio Trading Company really is. Do you think a bastard who grew up as a street ruffian would have the cunning and audacity to plot against a Grand Duke of your standing? Could he even afford the consequences of such a costly failure in competition? And would he have the authority to command a Great Swordmaster? Obviously, only someone standing behind that bastard would have such authority — and do we even need to guess who that is?"
Duke Kems' face turned somewhat pale. Lorist's words sent a chill down his spine. "But I don't understand — why would His Majesty target the Snow Salt Trading Company and me? I'm just a merchant. I haven't stood in the way of His Majesty's grand ambitions, nor do I pose any threat to him."
"You underestimate yourself," Lorist said with a laugh. "The war is over, and everyone knows a period of peace and rebuilding lies ahead. With the external threats gone, His Majesty will turn his attention to internal matters. Do you think there's anything within the kingdom that worries him more than our Alliance of Four? There isn't. If he wants to reform domestic affairs, he cannot circumvent the four of us. So his most pressing objective is to break apart our alliance."
"I suspect His Majesty has set his sights on your Snow Salt Trading Company because he knows it serves as the bond of mutual interest among our four families. Especially the Shahin and Philim families — each year, the dividends they receive from the Snow Salt Trading Company allow their territories to recover quickly, and their family forces regain strength at the same pace. It was only after the commercial competition ended in failure that His Majesty decided to target you. Without you, the Snow Salt Trading Company would no longer pose a threat."
"I have no proof that His Majesty sent the Great Swordmaster to assassinate you. It was merely speculation and suspicion. But when I saw that bastard bullying the kingdom's nobles who had come to attend the coronation — completely without restraint in the imperial capital — and that his newly established company could field a security detail led by a Gold Swordmaster, my suspicion deepened. Without His Majesty's support, how could the Antaio Trading Company possibly have such formidable protection? Remember, your Snow Salt Trading Company mainly relied on Silver Guards..."
"Especially when I slaughtered that company's escort and destroyed the Antaio Trading Company's premises — do you all remember how His Majesty flew into a rage at me? Like a child whose favorite toy had been destroyed, so hysterical that he didn't even care about right or wrong and demanded I give him an explanation. That confirmed it for me — he was behind it all. Now that things have come to this, what more is there to say? Why should I bother sparing his feelings? Of course I broke with him and left."
Duke Philim, who had been listening in silence, nodded. "Locke, your analysis makes a lot of sense. But what do you think His Majesty will do next? Will he declare us traitors?"
The nobles aren't so foolish as to throw their lives away fighting us on His Majesty's behalf. The last time they believed his rhetoric and waged a bloody three-year war against the Commercial Alliance's forces, most of the kingdom's lords still haven't recovered their strength. Besides, most of His Majesty's promises from back then remain unfulfilled — who would listen to his orders now?
"What I'm worried about is whether His Majesty will throw all caution to the wind and send the Royal Guard Corps after us regardless of the consequences. For him, seizing our families now and using them as leverage against us might seem like the smart move. If we make it back to our family territories, then even if he declares the four of us traitors, there's nothing he can do about it — he knows that with the Royal Guard Corps and the White Lion Corps alone, he cannot defeat our combined family forces. It would be better to use the Royal Guard Corps to round up our families and bring them back first, then slowly bargain with us..."
Duke Shahin's words left everyone in somber silence. Right now, the combined family forces of all four houses numbered fewer than five thousand men, while the Royal Guard Corps had a strength of forty-five thousand — nearly ten times their numbers. If Duke Shahin was right and the Second Prince simultaneously declared the four families traitors while dispatching the Royal Guard Corps to attack, even if Lorist was a Sword Saint, he couldn't hold off an entire corps. Especially with all four families' dependents traveling together — this was indeed everyone's Achilles' heel.
Lorist pondered for a moment before answering. "If he does that, it means he's committed to a war of annihilation against us — essentially gambling the Krisen Imperial Family's future and destiny. I believe he won't lose his reason. He should understand that the consequence would be driving all the other kingdom nobles to our side. No one would be willing to follow the orders of such an untrustworthy king. Besides, even if he wanted to do this, could he really pull it off?"
"We've only just left the imperial capital. It's nearly two days' journey from here to Kirin Port. I've already posted men to watch the Royal Guard Corps' camp and the city gates. If he really does send the Royal Guard Corps after us, we'll know immediately. All the carriages have been reinforced and are fully capable of a two-day forced march. When the time comes, Kems and Philim, along with Reidi, will escort our families ahead. Shahin and I, along with Ross the Tiger, will stay behind with our family forces to hold the rear."
"Though the Royal Guard Corps outnumbers us ten to one, I believe we can hold them off for a day or two. We don't need to defeat the Royal Guard Corps — we just need to slow them down enough that they can't catch our families. Once our families reach Kirin Port and board the ships, they'll be safe. As for the Kirin Port garrison, they take orders from our family — they won't care about any edict from His Majesty."
Duke Kems let out a sigh of relief. "I knew the Norton Family wouldn't have set up that trade fair market in Kirin Port without ensuring His Majesty couldn't interfere. With the garrison on our side, the road ahead is clear. Let's do as you say, Locke — a single Royal Guard Corps pursuit can't touch us. Once we're back in our family territories, we simply declare independence. With you as king, we break away from the Andinak Kingdom and settle accounts with him at our leisure..."
Duke Kems' thinking was this: if the Second Prince declared the four families traitors, the four dukes could simply return to their territories and establish their own kingdom, electing Lorist as king. They would wage war against the Andinak Kingdom, and within two years, the four families' forces could sweep across most of the kingdom's territory, winning the support and allegiance of the kingdom's nobles and leaving that self-proclaimed restorer of the Krisen Empire locked in the imperial capital, dreaming his grand restoration dream.
Lorist shook his head with a somewhat perplexed expression. "I don't think we've reached that point yet. If we take the initiative to declare independence, it would make His Majesty's accusations of treason seem justified. I believe that once we return to our territories, we should strengthen our defenses but refrain from taking any provocative actions. Only after His Majesty marches the full force of the kingdom against us and we emerge victorious should we declare our secession — that would be the right time..."
Duke Philim let out a long sigh. "Locke, I don't mean to criticize, but you're still too indecisive. Don't be so concerned about the Norton Family's reputation for unwavering loyalty. His Majesty is the one forcing us into rebellion, slandering us as traitors. At a moment like this, we should take the initiative. If we establish our own kingdom, we won't need to worry about His Majesty's safety on the battlefield. Otherwise, if something happens to him in battle, we'll bear the stain of regicide..."
In the distance, a lone rider came galloping at full speed, finally putting a stop to their muddled discussion.
"Your Highness, the King is pursuing us." The rider was one of the retainers Lorist had posted at the city gate.
"Has the Royal Guard Corps moved out as well?" Lorist asked urgently.
"No, the Royal Guard Corps hasn't moved. The King has come with only a dozen or so men," the rider answered.
Lorist and the others exchanged glances. What was the Second Prince up to?
"Perhaps His Majesty has come to stall our progress, buying time for the Royal Guard Corps to organize a proper pursuit..." Duke Kems speculated.
"Heh," Lorist scoffed coldly. "Have our families and troops continue onward. We'll wait here and see what our King has to say."
Soon, the Second Prince arrived at a gallop with about a dozen retainers.
"You didn't give me face, and I flew into a rage and blamed you for it. That was my fault — I hope you can forgive me. The coronation ceremony is only two days away, and I've been extremely anxious, terrified that something might go wrong. That's why I was provoked into such a terrible outburst..."
The Second Prince approached and grabbed the reins of Lorist's horse, wearing a sincere smile as he apologized earnestly, explaining away the explosive rage he had unleashed over two hours earlier. He repeatedly implored Lorist and the other three dukes to return to the imperial capital and not depart like this.
Lorist and the others declined repeatedly, but the Second Prince refused to let go of the reins of Lorist's horse. It wasn't until half an hour later that Grand Duke Fisablen arrived with a group of kingdom nobles, who also urged Lorist and his companions to stay and reconsider.
It wasn't until nightfall that several retainers monitoring the Royal Guard Corps' garrison arrived and quietly reported to Lorist that the Second Prince had not dispatched the Royal Guard Corps in pursuit. Only then did Lorist change his mind. After consulting with Duke Kems and the others, he finally agreed to the entreaties of the Second Prince, Grand Duke Fisablen, and the assembled kingdom nobles, consenting to return to the imperial capital.
However, Lorist simultaneously rejected the Second Prince's demand that the four dukes' families and family forces also return. He excused himself by saying that their families had already been frightened and no longer wished to remain in the imperial capital. They would head to Shirovas Island for a summer vacation to soothe their shaken nerves. If the Second Prince insisted on their return, then Lorist and the others would refuse to return as well.
The Second Prince reluctantly agreed, allowing only Lorist and the other three dukes to return to the imperial capital with fewer than a hundred retainers to attend the coronation ceremony two days later. In that moment, whether it was the Second Prince, Lorist, or the observing Grand Duke Fisablen, Duke Kems, and the other kingdom nobles, everyone understood in their hearts that a deep rift and fissure had formed between the Second Prince and Lorist. In the days to come, the two could never again cooperate as closely as they had with the Commercial Alliance. Even if the Krisen Empire were restored, future imperial conflicts would arise between the Norton Family and the imperial family...
...