Civilization: Beyond Two Worlds

"Xide… Xide Keram."

The Grand Duke's voice floated in the room, and there was dead silence in the air.

No one spoke.

This name… was known by everyone from Red Maple City to Valentine.

The Prime Minister of Goethe.

The legendary virtuous figure had a friendship with the Grand Duke in an epic story and had served this country diligently for decades. His friendship and camaraderie with Grand Duke Leckos made the entire continent talk about it. His noble reputation, the admiration of the people, and the reverence of the political world. He had a pivotal influence in this country. He was calm, decisive, wise, cautious, and diligent. He never slacked off and never made mistakes.

The more everyone respected the generous and benevolent Grand Duke, the more they revered the cold and unyielding Prime Minister.

They complemented each other and ruled this country in total. They complemented each other and were indispensable.

Now…

There was a dead silence. No one spoke.

Xide. This name had another meaning to Kang De.

He was Knight Cleveland's… father.

A close friend he would never forget in his life, a person who was important to his life. In a sense, his death completely changed Kang De's life. Moreover, that far-reaching impact had not only allowed him to return home, but it had also shaped Kang De's current personality and temperament… The Prime Minister was the knight's father.

He had once run away and did not want to see the knight's family, but after mustering his courage, his visit was disappointing. The Prime Minister was unwilling to forgive him, and as a father, he was not grateful to him.

In fact…

He looked around at everyone. "Are you sure?"

His voice was a little low.

Stella looked around at the people around her. The important ministers were unwilling to speak. Her father, aunt, and Uncle Xide had an extremely deep personal relationship. Like Kang De, Tina was also shocked by such a thing. She was even more conflicted when it involved the dead knight. She sighed. She could only say it.

"Invisibility, concealment…" She said softly, "The principle of this kind of concealment secret technique is either to distort light, mobilize shadows, fuse into the environment, or blind the target's senses. It's basically these few categories. The shadow ability we often talk about is to use a secret technique to mobilize shadow energy, encompassing the body, and obtaining the power of shadow walking. We rely on darkness to hide…"

"However, mobilizing shadows and transforming into shadows are two completely different concepts."

"The former uses a wide range of concealment skills, and the latter is a magical ability that only appears in ancient legends. It has long disappeared from the current world. It's almost unimaginable…"

Stella glanced at her father and said softly, "In this era, completing elementalization and obtaining an indestructible body is the top topic of Legendary Mages. Or rather, mortals can no longer rely on hard work to achieve this magnificent feat… Only some people who are still favored by the gods and have the blessing of the gods can show such elemental affinity and ability to subvert the laws of the modern world. Such people are very, very rare."

After all, she took into account her father's mood and did not say it too clearly.

However, Kang De could also understand.

He slowly said, "In other words, very few people have the talent to transform into shadows. In fact, you only know one example so far?"

"…Yes."

Tina said softly, "The Shadow Guard, Cole, the commander of the Prime Minister's personal guard. He made many contributions to Goethe. In a… accident when Father was young, he helped Father escape from Red Maple City with the Prime Minister. Together with the few of them and Aunt, they finally regained their power…"

He was a subject of the Dragon.

…Not only that, right?

With the personality of the Grand Duke and Sword Saint Snowfall, living and dying together back then must have been a magnificent story. The friendship born in such a story would definitely be remembered forever.

Therefore, it was unacceptable.

At this moment, Grand Duke Leckos said, "…He's framed."

He looked at Kang De and said in an extremely firm tone, "Xide won't do such a thing, let alone Cole. Although shadow abilities are rare, only Cole can definitely use them. There must be a conspirator who wants to take the opportunity to frame Xide… We can't be fooled!"

Sword Saint Snowfall, who was standing at the side, slowly said, "I also believe that they won't do this."

Kang De looked at Sword Saint Snowfall and then at the Grand Duke. Although their tone was firm, a trace of hesitation and pain still flashed through their eyes. They were also suspicious and hesitating.

However, so what?

He was about to speak when he felt his right hand tighten. Tina squeezed it.

Then, Tina said, "Then let Prime Minister Xide and Shadow Guard Cole prove their innocence."

Everyone's gazes focused on her.

Father, Aunt, Sister, and the ministers… Tina replied to these gazes with a cold and decisive gaze and said firmly, "Father, please convey the order to summon Prime Minister Xide and Shadow Guard Cole to the Maple Leaf Palace immediately… Then order Second Brother to lead the army to monitor all entrances and exits of the Prime Minister's residence. If there's chaos and resistance, immediately order the army to attack and kill all the rebels!"

She said coldly, "Whether the Prime Minister did it or not, we'll know from the outcome."

The Grand Duke's expression shook and he subconsciously shouted, "Tina!"

Tina said indifferently, "Father, is there anything wrong with my arrangement? If the Prime Minister is innocent, he'll definitely rush to the Maple Leaf Palace immediately with Mr. Cole. The misunderstanding will naturally be resolved. If the Prime Minister wants to run or resist stubbornly, he's the traitor of the country who tried to destroy Goethe's defense and start a war with the dragons. If that's the case, he won't be able to see the sun tomorrow!"

The Grand Duke muttered, "Perhaps he was only confused for a moment…"

"Father!"

Tina said sternly, "What are you still saying at this point?"

The important ministers were surprised to discover that the little princess Tina, who had a weak personality, was actually roaring at the Grand Duke with such a fierce gaze and decisive expression.

She took a step forward. Her blue eyes were no longer the calm sky, but a whistling tsunami. Anger surged in them, mixed with blood, death, and violence.

"I was confused for a moment… You were confused many times in the past, but the Prime Minister is not confused and can always clean up the situation for you. However, now, if the Prime Minister is confused, as the monarch of Goethe, you can't be confused at all!"

She said sternly, "If you don't deal with this matter today, Kang De and I will ask personally! At that time, if it blows up, the dignity of the country will be gone and the dragons will know. What do you want?!"

Be it the Grand Duke, Stella, Kang De, or the important ministers of the court, this was the first time they had seen Tina like this. Before this, be it hearing the legend or seeing the intelligence report, that Princess Tina who gathered volunteer soldiers in the north of the Empire and stirred up the storm was really distant and dreamy.

Now, the lioness finally revealed her sharp claws in front of her father.

The Grand Duke was even stunned and could not say a word.

Kang De reached out and gently pulled Tina back.

The people in front of Tina saw the princess's gaze gradually turn gentle. Like a sharp blade that was gradually sheathed, she retreated to Kang De's side.

"Duke, I'm not the one who was injured today, so we can't let this matter go."

Kang De said, "Please ask Prime Minister Xide to come and bring that Cole. Whether he did it or not can be determined by seeing if Cole is alive. I promise you that even if it's him, I won't take his life. No matter what, I won't kill Cleveland's father this time."

The Grand Duke sighed.

"Armed form…"

The Goethe Palace armed minister took a step forward. "Yes."

"Please go to the Prime Minister's official residence and ask the Prime Minister to bring the Shadow Guard, Cole, to the Maple Leaf Palace." The Grand Duke closed his eyes and slowly said, "Bring more people and be vigilant. You know what I'm talking about."

"As you wish."

"Commander."

"My lord, wait for the order."

"Go see Landiston and order the 1st Sparkle Cavalry Battalion of the Sword Orchid Army to maneuver towards Keram Street…"

The orders were given one by one.

Every order was precise and clear, but the voice that gave the order was tired and heavy.

In the end, his gaze turned to Kang De.

"Mr. Kang De."

"Go ahead."

"If… I mean if."

He slowly said, "If it's really Xide, what do you want to do with him?"

Kang De turned to look out of the window as if the terrifying impact had not dissipated. He watched helplessly as the unstoppable powerful force swallowed Horus's body. The feeling at that time still lingered in his heart.

"Then I'll also say if."

"If I was the one who was attacked, I might forgive him one last time, but I'm not the one who was attacked and injured. I'm not qualified to forgive on behalf of the victim."

Kang De was silent for a moment, and his tone had already become cold, "Therefore, if he really ordered it, he has to become what Horus is now."

"This revenge is only limited to an eye for an eye. This is my greatest concession."

After a while, the Grand Duke nodded gently. "This is very reasonable… Thank you."

Kang De said indifferently, "There's no need. It's not because of you."

There was another awkward silence.

Stella looked at Tina, then at her father, then at her aunt. She sighed in her heart. If she had known earlier, she would have returned to St. Covero University to squat. Why would she stay in the Maple Leaf Palace? It was actually her turn to liven up the atmosphere.

In the past, Tina should be the one to do this…

She said, "Everyone, there's no need to be so pessimistic. Perhaps someone has indeed framed us…"

"Don't be stupid, Second Sister. Everyone feels pessimistic because of this," Tina said calmly. "If someone framed him, that's an even more terrifying thing. The ability to transform into a shadow is rare in the world. I don't know how many times Mr. Cole has been recruited and harassed by the Brotherhood. With this talent, there's a possibility of becoming an assassin master. However, the mastermind behind the attack used such a rare and precious shadow ability user as a one-time consumable. If it wasn't the Prime Minister, who was it?"

"…"

Stella choked on the spot.

Kang De swayed and gently touched Tina beside him.

Tina immediately said, "I'm sorry, Second Sister."

"…"

She felt that her sister was very aggressive tonight.

She was furious…

However, Tina's words were not bickering. This possibility was indeed clouding this attack. It was simply a dilemma. Whether the Prime Minister had done it, the outcome was all very bad…

Stella looked at her father and the others' serious expressions and sighed softly.

Why did the Sun God make Goethe experience so many hardships?

The window was shattered, and the night wind blew. The room was silent. Everyone was waiting for the outcome, but they did not even know which outcome they hoped to hear.

There was a long silence. Everyone was silent. Only Kang De held Tina's hand with his left hand and his right was held by the unwilling gorilla. The others saw this and were full.

Footsteps approached.

Like a switch, it opened up frozen time. Sword Saint Snowfall and the Grand Duke's performance was the most intense, and almost their entire bodies trembled.

It was fine if it was the Grand Duke, but Hillmelia was clearly not as decisive as at the banquet that day. She, the Grand Duke, Prime Minister Xide, and even Cole clearly had a deep friendship.

Grand Duke Leckos looked out the door, then his face turned pale.

This was because only the palace armed minister and a few guards walked over.

The Grand Duke's tone trembled. "Where's Xide?"

"I was ordered to see the Prime Minister's official residence. The butler said that the Prime Minister is resting. I insisted on seeing him and said that the Grand Duke had ordered him to go to the Maple Leaf Palace immediately. After the butler asked for instructions, he rejected and said that the Grand Duke had an order to order the Prime Minister to rest on time and not leave the residence before ten in the day…"

Everyone's expressions slowly changed.

Leckos slowly clenched his fists. "He never showed up? Then what?"

"I took the initiative. After all, this matter is very serious, so I forcefully barged into the Prime Minister's residence and shouted and caused a scene. The Prime Minister finally appeared. After asking what had happened, he still refused to come and said that his wife was ill and he wanted to take care of her. As for His Highness Kang De being attacked…"

He glanced at Kang De and said, "The Prime Minister said that it has nothing to do with him. He doesn't have any suggestions to provide, let alone be willing to abandon his wife, who is crazy because of the loss of her son, at night to busy herself with Prince Kang De's matters. If there's anything that the Prime Minister has to do, it doesn't matter if the Grand Duke appoints the acting Prime Minister or directly removes him from his official position. He… he also said some inappropriate things."

The Grand Duke said in a low voice, "Where's Cole?"

"When I fought my way in, I did not see him and did not dare to ask. I was afraid of attracting the attention of the Prime Minister. This matter is very important, so I could only return and report it to the Grand Duke."

The armed figure lowered his head and said, "However, Grand Duke, don't worry. His Highness Landiston has already ordered the Sword Orchid Legion to monitor the tunnels, entrances, and spatial fluctuations near the Prime Minister's residence and ensure that no one can leave the Prime Minister's residence on their own. He asked me to return and ask you what to do."

The Grand Duke was silent for a long time, then turned around and walked out.

"He's unwilling to come. Let's make a trip."

…