Re-Estize Kingdom, Court Council.
Warrior Captain Gazef Stronoff knelt before the throne. This was the first time he had seen the one he swore allegiance to since his successful return from Karn Village.
Lambusa III, at 60 years old, raised his hand, which resembled a withered tree branch, as if he could barely hold the scepter. The crown on his head also seemed particularly heavy.
The King was clearly too old; abdicating to his heir and living out his remaining years in peace would be the best choice.
But in reality, he also wanted to abdicate.
Although he had two princes, neither met expectations. The First Prince was a brute, and while the Second Prince might have a bit of cunning, he was still unsatisfactory.
The faction of the Great Nobles was powerful, and once he abdicated, the royal family would likely become puppets. Therefore, only his presence in this position could suppress those below him, and there was no suitable heir to date.
"Rise, Warrior Captain. I am truly glad to see you return safely. Tell me exactly what happened."
Lambusa III's voice was very weak, but none of the nobles below dared to show a mocking expression. No prince could achieve this.
Gazef bowed, "Yes, Your Majesty."
He recounted everything that happened in Karn Village in full detail, mentioning a magic caster named Ainz Ooal Gown and a warrior wearing silver armor, praising and admiring them with the utmost language.
Although he was not eloquent, it seemed to have no impact at this moment.
The King also expressed his admiration after hearing the account.
"A warrior in silver armor, does Warrior Captain perhaps know who this person is?"
With a slightly sarcastic and frivolous voice, Gazef looked up and saw the blond man standing at the very back.
Raven Marquis, that man who was like a bat, would do anything for his own benefit. Perhaps he was an Imperial spy.
"While I cannot be certain, he called himself Sigris Helausvaerger, and he is an extremely powerful warrior. At least, I cannot defeat him."
Gazef believed he could not reveal in front of so many people that this warrior might be a Silver Knight, in case a spy was among them.
Upon hearing such a statement, the nobles all showed expressions of disdain. They believed Gazef must be lying. How could such a person suddenly appear, and that magic caster was also highly suspicious.
"The appearance of such suspicious individuals in the Kingdom is very concerning. They should be arrested and interrogated."
The nobles began discussing animatedly, with many malicious conjectures among them. They were all from the Great Noble faction.
Among them, the three Great Nobles of the Royalist faction—Marquis Blumrush—spoke up, "Of course, arresting people casually is not acceptable, but clarifying their identities is also very important. What are Warrior Captain's thoughts?"
Gazef showed a troubled expression. Although it sounded like he was being helped, he really did not want to say more about this matter.
Raven Marquis showed a thoughtful expression, his thin lips pressed together, "I have no recollection of such a person. Could it be an alias?"
Gazef replied dismissively, "Probably, I'm not very clear. Perhaps he is a very famous person. Don't they all dislike revealing their whereabouts?"
Raven Marquis smiled meaningfully, then closed his mouth and said nothing more.
The meeting then proceeded to the next item on the agenda. After it concluded, the nobles left in small groups.
Gazef continued to accompany the King as usual. Along the way, he happened to encounter a middle-aged man, the only person who had spoken up for Gazef during the meeting—Marquis Blumrush.
Although it was a bit of a misguided help, Gazef still felt some gratitude.
Marquis Blumrush showed a gentle smile, "Your Majesty, and Warrior Captain, what a coincidence."
Gazef always maintained a respectful attitude towards this Great Noble who stood with the Royalist faction. As a close confidant of the King, he understood the importance of the man before him.
"Marquis Blumrush, I must trouble you with much concern recently."
It was almost time for war with the Empire again, a critical moment, and the attitude of the nobles was very important. Even though they knew the Warrior Captain had been harmed by a spy, no one brought it up.
"Your Majesty, you speak too highly. I am very happy to see Warrior Captain return safely. I only wish there was an opportunity to reward those two," Marquis Blumrush said with a smile.
Gazef said half-jokingly, half-seriously, "I might not be able to afford the gratitude, those two are not ordinary people."
"I wish I could express my gratitude to them in person, to thank them for saving my most loyal confidant," Lambusa III said sincerely.
"You are truly benevolent. It is our great honor for the Kingdom to have people like Warrior Captain and Your Majesty." Marquis Blumrush looked outside, then bowed his head apologetically, "Your Majesties, I must take my leave. I didn't realize how much time had passed."
"It's fine, you go ahead. Don't keep your family waiting."
After receiving permission, Marquis Blumrush quickly disappeared from sight, appearing to be a very family-oriented man.
"I heard that Tielantier was attacked by a dragon?"
"Yes… it seems to have been successfully resolved…"
"You have a guess about the true identity of the Silver Knight, don't you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty…"
The two walked slowly down the corridor, heading towards the royal chambers.
At the end of the corridor, a young girl wearing an exquisite crown witnessed everything. She turned and made a shushing gesture, "Climb, don't make a sound. Father looks very tired. I won't disturb him for now."
Lana Theiel Chardron Ryle Vaiself, known as the Golden Princess, the King's most beloved youngest daughter.
Being too close, Climb's face instantly flushed, but he couldn't bear to push her away, and he mumbled in agreement, "I understand, Princess."
"Climb, really, didn't I say you could just call me Lana in private? If you keep doing this, I'll get angry."
"Princess Lana, I'm sorry, I'm too foolish." Climb quickly lowered his head.
Where he couldn't see, Lana smiled happily, the corners of her mouth curving into an exaggerated arc, which instantly changed back to a pure and flawless smile the moment he looked up.
"Hey, Climb, if we encounter danger, will you protect me?"
"Of course, that is my duty! I will protect you with my life." Climb straightened his body, his face resolute, his eyes reflecting only Lana.
"That's enough."
Climb was a bit dazed. Although he felt that Lana seemed to have changed a little, it should just be an illusion.
Lana responded with a smile. Indeed, he was her cutest little puppy. She truly loved those eyes.
What to do? The Kingdom seemed to be in peril. Should she subtly warn those foolish people? But if the Kingdom were to fall, then no one would be able to stop the two of them from being together, right?
Even Marquis Blumrush had become an Imperial lackey. The Kingdom was truly rotten to the core. Perhaps destruction was the best option.