Page 281
An old man stood beside the bed, his face full of wrinkles, slightly hunched. He was dressed in ordinary servant clothes, but he was able to take care of the king alone, which obviously meant he was not a simple person.
"crunch-"
The bedroom door was pushed open from the outside, and a man and a woman walked in side by side.
The old man looked over and bowed casually: "Your Excellency the Grand Duke of Blois, Your Excellency the Grand Duke of Pestoia, hello."
"Fleming, you have aged a lot." Blois was not in a hurry to check on the king, but greeted the old man with a smile.
Pestoya had waist-length black hair draped down her back, and she was not dressed in formal attire, but in loose linen long-sleeved trousers. Even so, her ample curves were still exposed.
She doesn't look very beautiful at first glance, but her facial features are well-balanced.
What attracts the most attention is the touch of charm between her eyebrows, which is the charm of a mature woman that can only be precipitated after experiencing all kinds of life.
When he first entered the room, his face was cold, but when he saw Fleming beside the bed, his face suddenly brightened: "Uncle, how are you doing recently?"
When he heard the word "uncle", the corners of his mouth twitched without showing any expression on his face: "Not bad."
After saying hello, the Grand Duke of Blois asked solemnly, "How long will it take for Mr. Porter to come back?"
"Not sure." The old man replied in a low voice.
Pestoya took over the conversation: “Blois, I received some news that Mr. Potter may not return to the capital in the short term.
and……"
After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Even if Mr. Potter returns, the King may not be able to recover."
"Why?" Blois turned his head and stared at her. "Mr. Potter contacted me with the sound crystal before he left. He made it clear that he would find a way to save the king himself."
"Mr. Potter..." Pestoya hesitated for a few seconds, "The situation is very complicated. For now, we only know that Mr. Potter is in trouble and is investigating some orders of the king.
Of course, these are not the most important things.
According to my intelligence, Mr. Potter seems to have done something in private that might offend the church."
"Tell me more details."
Blois frowned but didn't urge her, but she answered irrelevantly: "Avril was also involved."
"What?!" He raised his hand and pressed her shoulder, "Avril is involved too?
She is necessary for Lake to regain his glory, how could she be targeted by the church before that! "
"Calm down."
She slapped his increasingly forceful hand away helplessly: "The church hasn't noticed it yet, but I've been observing Avril for a few days, and she shows no signs of interrupting her plan."
"What's the plan?"
"Destroy the Church."
"Destroy the church?" Blois laughed in anger, "Avril? Just by her alone?
Well, even with Mr. Potter, is it possible?!"
"Don't get mad at me." Pestoya took a step back to avoid the spit that was flying straight at her face. "I don't know what Mr. Potter is thinking either.
He should know that every church is a master of the Word of Truth.
Well... the position may be vacant for a few years as the old pope changes, but this pope has only been in office for a short time."
Blois was like an angry lion, his eyes almost bulging with bloodshot eyes: "Even without the Pope, the Church cannot be overthrown by Mr. Potter alone!"
"Quiet." His roar echoed in the bedroom. Fleming, who had been silent all this time, raised his eyelids slightly, "Don't disturb His Majesty the King's rest."
Chapter 268 The King's Chess Game
Fleming's reminder reminded the two of the purpose of their trip.
The changes on Avril's side cannot be ignored, but the king's plan is more important, after all, it concerns Lake's life and death.
Taking a few steps forward to the bedside, Blois stared down at the sleeping Past: "You had high hopes for Andre, but unfortunately, he failed you."
Pestoya also walked over slowly: "The wish is beautiful, but after all, we are just children, too naive."
Fleming never interfered with the conversation, but suddenly said, "Your Majesty had anticipated what Andre did."
"Collusion with the Church?" Blois raised his voice.
Whether he was unable to refute or didn't want to, he remained silent.
“It doesn’t matter if the kingdom is in turmoil or the city lord is rebelling.
As long as the king succeeds, Lake will have at least three divine blessings, and if our speculation is true, he can even get an epic one!
With this power, not to mention restoring the country, returning to the center of the mainland can be easily achieved."
As he spoke, Bulova became angry again: “The premise of everything is that you don’t have anything to do with the church!
But now? !
What are they doing! ”
The question in his tone was obvious, but Fleming seemed not to hear it and just kept his head down.
Such a cold response obviously angered Blois, and magic power surged throughout his body.
Pestoya stood between the two of them, blocking their line of sight, and said, "After so many years, your bad temper is still the same."
"I……"
"Okay." She blocked Blois's next words and tried to ease the increasingly tense atmosphere. "The family has investigated for thousands of years and is basically sure that the church will not interfere in foreign affairs under normal circumstances."
"You also said it was a normal situation!"
With her persuasion, Blois calmed down a little, but his face was still angry.
It's also understandable.
He and Pestoya's family have devoted several generations of effort and finally found out why the church encouraged neighboring countries to encircle and suppress the Ice and Snow Empire.
The source of the disaster was the book of chivalry.
Because of it, the church evacuated all churches and personnel in the Ice Empire and announced that it would lift the ban.
Eventually, the prosperous Ice Empire collapsed overnight, and the surviving royal family members were stranded in a remote corner of the continent, a barren land that was desolate compared to the center.
When the king and the two grand dukes learned of this, they were ecstatic.
By destroying the Chivalric Code, they no longer have to worry about the gods watching them, and can focus on restoring the former glory of the First Empire.
Pestoya sighed: "Avril has endless potential, but she is currently weak. Even if she makes some noise, it will not cause the church to take action.
Mr. Potter...whatever he wants to do, can you stop him?"
Blois remained silent for a long time before he said, "I don't understand.
Our ancestors were all personal knights of the Ice and Snow King, offering their eternal loyalty to the Ice and Snow King.
As descendants, we adhere to our ancestors' teachings and family honor, and devote our all to the revival of the Ice and Snow Empire from generation to generation.
Mr. Potter's father also kept his oath, so why is it his turn...what does he want to do?
Destroy the church?
If he really wants to die, I can help him."
Remembering that he was no match for her, Bulova added: "As long as he doesn't fight back."
"I thought you were going to have a man-to-man contest with Mr. Potter." Pestoya rolled her eyes coquettishly.
"You think I'm an idiot? Duel with a top god?"
"Okay." She waved her hand, signaling him to stop being so angry. "Jarvis's involvement should be a personal decision. It has nothing to do with the church."
"Is there any evidence?"
"some."
She did not present any evidence, but after knowing her for many years, Blois knew that she would never say anything she was not sure of, so he said nothing more.
Afterwards, the two planned to continue discussing matters.
Fleming on the side suddenly raised his head and said, "You really don't know why Potter suddenly left the capital and didn't contact you?"
They looked at each other, and Pestoya asked in confusion: "Uncle, do you know the reason?"
After staring at the two of them for a while, the corners of his mouth twitched stiffly and he fell silent.
If Fleming doesn't say anything, then no one can force him to speak. She frowned: "Because of us?
What did we do…”
As if he had thought of the key, Bulova blurted out: "Sacrifice?"
Pestoya was stunned: “Wasn’t that something the King and Mr. Potter decided on together?
How could Mr. Porter suddenly change his mind about a plan that has been implemented for a long time?
Is there any misunderstanding?"
She turned her head and looked at Blois: "I remember this is you..."
Seeing him turn his face away from her, Pestoya suddenly became furious: "You lied to me?!"
"Pestoya, listen to me..."
"Speak!" She took out her staff, and the crystal on top lit up with a brilliant blue light. "You told Mr. Potter and the king that they agreed to the sacrifice. Are you lying to me?"
"The church's ban has not been lifted yet, don't cast magic!"
Blois became visibly nervous and tried to go over to hold down her raised staff, but was pushed back by the rising magic shield.
He didn't dare to break it open by force, as that would be judged as "using violence" by the church's surveillance crystal. He had to raise his hands and press them in front of him, hoping that she would calm down.
"Pestoya." Fleming called softly.
The effect was remarkable. She took a deep breath, extinguished the magic shield and retracted the staff.
“No wonder…
I was wondering why you kept me stationed near the forbidden magic circle in recent years. Is it because you were worried that I would contact Mr. Potter and expose your conspiracy? ! "
For some reason, the panic on Bulova’s face suddenly disappeared, and turned into calmness: “For the Ice Empire, everything can be sacrificed.