Now that he understood Philip's intentions, William leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and silently pondered for a few minutes before closing his eyes and instructing Sunday, "Connect me to King Philip."
"Understood, sir."
The phone rang only three times before it was picked up. Philip's hearty laughter came through the receiver. "Good morning, William. It seems your conversation with Wilson went quite well."
Glancing at Wilson, William replied gloomily, "It went surprisingly well, to be honest. But now I regret teaching him. I never expected this rookie to grow so fast that I'd fall into a trap as simple as it gets."
Philip chuckled heartily and comforted him. "Don't dwell on it, my boy. People like us, with minds full of plans and schemes, often overlook those who appear harmless and unthreatening. But sending Wilson to you wasn't just about learning your thoughts; it was also a gesture to show you that, with even my heir sent to meet you personally, there's no need for suspicion between us anymore. The fact that you called me indicates that we share the same stance on certain matters, doesn't it?"
William didn't immediately respond to Philip's question. Instead, he asked, "Have you never thought about immortality?"
Philip didn't hesitate. "Everyone dreams of immortality, but that's not true immortality. I'd rather face the end peacefully than fall into darkness."
"Fair enough," William said. "It seems we can indeed find common ground. If you have the means, please inform these abominations to get out of my territory."
"That shouldn't be too difficult," Philip replied after a moment of thought. "But may I ask why you decided to clean up the old Earl's estate?"
"Of course," William replied. "Not only were they using the Devonshire family name to stay in my territory, but they were also secretly eyeing my castle and my mother. And let's not forget that those rats from the shadows were guarding the old Earl's corpse."
"Guarding the corpse?" Philip asked urgently. "Was the old Earl turned?"
"No," William replied. "But I burned the body."
Philip breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Whatever their intentions were, cremation eliminates all risks. However, it also makes understanding their motives more difficult."
What's so hard about that? William thought. There were still five werewolves locked up in the secret base at Yellowstone Park. When he had the time, he'd interrogate them one by one. But he didn't share this with Philip. Instead, he said, "I couldn't care less about their motives. From now on, any abomination appearing in the Oxfordshire territory, the Chantilly Castle territory in France, or around the London estate, if I find one, I'll kill one."
"It's not that simple, William," Philip said after a long silence, with a sigh. "We'd all love to do exactly what you're saying: kill them on sight. In fact, most of us would support you if you had the ability to drive them out of England altogether. But that's simply impossible. They're like an infection—if just one escapes, it won't be long before they spread again through their vicious bites. And, worse yet, there are even some lunatics among us who willingly become one of them."
Willingly become vampires and werewolves?
Damn it, William thought. After a moment's reflection, he understood. The human mind was far too complex—curiosity, revenge, the lure of immortality, and countless other strange motivations and reasons could drive some people to secretly protect them or even become one of them.
Perhaps sensing that his words had been too pessimistic, Philip continued, "Even though we can't completely eradicate them, the work of suppressing their influence and limiting their numbers still needs to be done. So, are you interested in becoming a member of the Church of England?"
He added, "I can, in my capacity as the head of the Church of England, confer upon you the title of Holy Knight, giving you the authority to eliminate any abomination that violates our agreements within England."
William rejected the offer without even thinking. "Not interested. Let me be clear: starting today, the Kingsman Abnormality Task Force is officially established. According to the authority I've already received, this task force will target any abominations that come into my sight. So, please pass this message along to those rats: if they ever make me feel threatened or uneasy, I'll purge Oxford and London completely.
"Sorry, Your Majesty, but I've got a busy day ahead. We can talk more when we meet in London in a few days. Goodbye."
"Wait, wait, William, don't be reckless," Philip said anxiously. "Even if you manage to clean up all of England, it won't be long before abominations from other countries bring darkness back into England. For the stability of society as a whole, we can only aim to limit their power and numbers, quietly eliminating the more radical groups.
"As for the vegetarian ones or those that obey us, they should not be within your scope of attacks."
Hearing this, William cursed directly. "Damn it. Don't forget—they only see us as food."
Philip laughed. "No, it's not like it was centuries ago. The advantage is now on our side. But, just as there are lunatics among humans who want to become vampires, there are also those among the turned vampires who retain their human morals. Some don't bite humans and only drink animal blood or purchased blood."
"William, the world is no longer black and white. Even among our kind, there are enemies everywhere. Any person or abomination willing to obey us and serve England is one of us. Just as we can never predict when a seemingly normal person might turn into a criminal, the lines between good and evil are no longer so simple."
This made William realize that Philip had approached him to ensure he followed the rules.
The thought irritated William immediately. "Sorry, but I don't trust that they can suppress their bloodlust indefinitely. Even if they're following orders now, that doesn't guarantee they'll do the same in ten or twenty years. And these abominations, destined to live in the shadows, will undoubtedly suffer discrimination, insults, and slander while serving us. I don't need to remind you of the high likelihood they'll betray us, do I?"
"We understand what you're saying," Philip sighed. "In fact, when I first ascended the throne, I shared your thoughts. But the truth is, until we can locate every abomination hiding in the shadows, we simply don't have the ability to completely wipe them out. Given that, and to avoid global panic, all conflicts must remain in the dark. If you want to act on your own, that's fine. But think carefully—if your actions spark a war, it's society as a whole that will suffer."
"For now, our goal is to control them and quietly wait for technological advances. When the day comes that we can find a way to eliminate them entirely, we'll act."
A chaotic society would be of no benefit to William either. With a reluctant sigh, he said, "Fine. I'll keep the scale of the fights under control while looking for a way to deal with them. Goodbye."
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Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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