I like traveling the most

Francia Palace

Lin was walking in the corridor of the largest of the three buildings, which was polished to a gleaming shine without a trace of dust, and the person leading the way was Clem.

On the third day after the banquet, he received a summons from Her Royal Highness the Princess.

In the wide and clean corridor, there stood the elite soldiers of the royal palace guards, wearing full body armor and standing at attention. They were the knights of the kingdom.

Unlike the Empire, which recruited professional soldiers from the common people as knights, the knights of the kingdom were a group of people who received the title of aristocracy for a generation, and were often held by people who could not inherit the family business, such as the third son of a noble. However, since the royal family paid them a very high salary, only those with first-class swordsmanship could be selected, and even nobles could not use backdoors.

[The King's Guards] is the most appropriate term to describe them.

By the way, Gazef also had no title.

Because he was born a commoner and stepped on the heads of a group of nobles, the nobles who were unwilling to save face opposed granting him the title of knight, so the king created a new position - the chief of the kingdom's warriors. Since then, the elite soldiers selected by Gazef and led by him are collectively called warriors.

Speaking of which, Gazef had invited him before, but he was rejected harshly by his brother, the Marquis.

Clem nodded to these knights. Most of them would return the greetings. Some were reluctant because of face, but some were sincere. Although they were nobles, they were also people who were loyal to the king and had the spirit of warriors.

Unlike Clem, Lin's smile was responded by everyone, without exception. Even those maids who looked disgusted with Clem smiled flatteringly when they saw him.

This is the convenience brought by the noble status.

Of course, appearance also occupies a small part.

"… This kingdom is over."

"Master Lin, what did you say?"

"Nothing."

Clem, who came in front, did not hear Lin's mumbling clearly. Seeing that the other party was unwilling to say more, he did not ask any more questions. Later, the two arrived at the door of the room in the corner of the palace.

Knock, knock, knock——

"Master Lana, I'm here with Master Lin."

"Come in."

"——Excuse me."

Clem turned the doorknob after getting permission.

Pushing the door open, a beautiful scene came into their view.

This is a room that is luxurious but not ostentatious. It is not the light pink or pure gold that people tend to think of, but a more plain and low-key decoration. At the intersection of the huge open window and the balcony, there is a small white round table. Standing next to the table is the owner of the room, Lana.

The golden girl is wrapped in the sun, and the whole person is dazzling, like the center of the world.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Master Lin, please come here."

The girl invited him.

Lin was not polite, and walked straight to the round table and sat down.

"Master Lana, I'll go down first."

"Clem, you sit down too."

"But..."

"Sit down and talk, there are no outsiders here."

"Master Lin said so!"

Clem knew that he couldn't refuse, so he gave up and sat down.

"Come, have some tea."

At the same time, Lana poured black tea into the newly prepared teacup, and the black tea poured out from the magic prop thermos was steaming as if it had just been brewed.

This is a magical prop that can keep the temperature and quality of the beverage inside unchanged for an hour. It is one of Lana's favorite props and is only used when entertaining important guests.

"It tastes good, Lady Lana."

To be honest, Clem couldn't tell whether it tasted good or not, but since it was brewed by Lana, he thought it must be delicious.

This is indeed the case.

"Fragrant, mellow, and smooth, there is a hint of sweetness after swallowing it. I guess a little honey is added to it, the purpose is to neutralize the excess bitterness and astringency, but it is also very careful not to let the sweetness suppress the bitterness and astringency, otherwise there will be no sweetness in the end. It is a very clever technique and idea. Your Highness Lana, your craftsmanship is very exquisite."

Lin's praise was just right, and Her Highness smiled sweetly as if she was tickled.

Clem saw that he was a little anxious.

"Lady Lana, I, I..."

I really wanted to say something to compliment her, but he was tongue-tied and couldn't compliment her as sincerely and naturally as Lin.

"It's okay, Clem, don't force yourself."

"That's right. After all, even if I say a hundred words of praise, they can't compare to your brief "delicious", so don't be so nervous."

Lin's teasing and the princess's rosy cheeks were clearly reassuring words, but Clem always felt awkward.

"Okay, let's stop chatting here."

With these words, Lana and Lin showed serious expressions, and Clem also straightened his back under the influence of the atmosphere.

"Regarding the issue of liberated slaves..."

"We need to build a new church, right? The initial location is west of the capital, where my experimental field is located. There is a lot of vacant space, which can barely build two churches."

"Well, I actually went to investigate, and it is indeed a suitable place. But there is another problem, that is, if the experimental field fails, it may become a handle for the nobles to criticize. In addition, it is possible that the guards will disrupt the order of the capital, and Her Highness Lana may also be implicated."

"I have also thought about this issue, so I plan to ask my father to come forward and issue the royal order. Although it cannot be effectively suppressed all the time, it can barely be completed before the end of the experimental field, and according to calculations, the experimental field will also produce amazing results by then. Satisfactory results.”

“So that’s it, a situation where both prosper and suffer, both suffer losses?”

When the two were discussing church matters, Climb suddenly raised his hand.

His action put a pause on the conversation.

"There's no need to be so formal, just say what you have to say directly."

"Master Lana and Master Lin, are you discussing slaves?"

"It's a no-brainer."

"Well... why are there only two churches built? There is a lot of unused land to the west of the royal capital. Wouldn't it be better to build a few more churches..."

"It's not necessary, and it's not possible."

The person who answered him was Her Royal Highness, and then continued to ask: "Clem, do you know how many slaves there are in the royal capital now? Although I don't know the exact number, it is about 400. So why is this number? ?”

"Why……?"

"Because this is the maximum number of people that the nobles of the royal capital can control. Although those guys are having fun, their original intention is to tell the royal family that once there are too many slaves, the royal capital will fall into chaos. At this time, they are jumping out to rectify it. So Once this happens, not only will the royal capital be restored to its original order and purity, but no one will speak for the slaves anymore. Do you understand? "

It was Xiao Lin who explained it to him.

"How could this happen!... I'm sorry, Master Lana, Master Lin! I'm rude!"

In disbelief, Climb immediately slapped the table angrily and stood up. Soon, realizing that he was being rude, he immediately knelt on the ground.

"It's okay, Climb. In addition, to answer the question of why you only built two churches, it is not only because the two churches are barely enough, but also because the Axis Cult is only a small player and does not pose a threat to the nobles. But once To build more..."

"It will be regarded as a declaration of war. And not only the nobles, but also the royalists may regard us as enemies."

The two of them told him this desperate fact in unison.

Because from the beginning to the end, in the eyes of the factions, the life and death of the slaves did not matter. They were just tools in the power struggle that could suppress their opponents.

“And the timing of dismantling the system is bad.”

"Lord Lin, don't you also want to abolish slavery?"

"Make no mistake, little Clem. It's not that I don't want it, I'm saying that the timing of repeal is bad."

The abolition of slavery was an inevitable trend for the future development of the kingdom.

But the timing wasn't right.

Under normal circumstances, the royal family needs to have absolute say in controlling the kingdom so that this system can be implemented smoothly. However, the power of the royal family is gradually declining, and coupled with the lack of money, the royal family will lose their trust if they are not careful, and they will no longer be able to control the kingdom, which is why it has become such an embarrassing situation now.

But when I think about the fact that Her Royal Highness the Princess's purpose is to overthrow the kingdom and then escape to the empire, it suddenly becomes reasonable. After all, this system is extremely suitable for the Blood Emperor who has completely controlled the empire.

"Stop being so sad, little Climb."

Lin helped up the innocent guard who was kneeling on the ground and said: "I am not saying this to deliberately attack, but to elaborate on the difficulties we will face next. Otherwise, if you only know the good side and ignore the bad side, you will be close to destruction." It’s not far away, both for the kingdom and for us.”

"I, I..."

"And I will form an alliance with Her Highness Lana because she implemented the abolition of slavery. I believe that many people who have the same ideas as me will gather together in the future. It is still beneficial, isn't it?"

"Master Lin..."

Sure enough, he was right. As a priest, Lord Lin, like Lord Lana, are both people who consider the common people. Soon Clem had a determined expression on his face.

Seeing him like this, Lin's heart ached slightly. Although it was smooth sailing, Lin and Princess Lana still deceived Climb.

Including Princess Lana, there are three heirs to the throne.

Among them, the eldest prince is a puppet elected by the aristocracy, and the second prince is supported by a small number of small aristocrats and the king-supporting faction. If Princess Lana wants to become a powerful heir, she must make herself a representative of the civilian faction to win over the common people and the royal faction. Without the support of soldiers and knights, it would be impossible to compete with them.

Lin and Princess Lana had a tacit understanding and did not speak out about these things. After all, it was very utilitarian and could easily arouse resentment.

At the previous banquet, Lin hinted at the Axis Cult and expressed his intention to summon him, and Princess Lana also responded by accepting the proposal.

The two had a perfect rapport when working together for the first time.

"Brother Clem, do you know the meaning of "neither destruction nor establishment"? It means that new things cannot be developed without destroying old things. The kingdom's system has become rotten, and now is the time for us to re-establish a new system!"

Lin's profound words were very obscure, but Clem knew that since Princess Lana made this choice, he would firmly follow this adult.

"Now let's confirm the final enemy."

"...It's the empire."

"It's the empire."

Princess Lana's answer was echoed, and the two agreed that the final and most dangerous enemy was the empire controlled by the Blood Emperor.

But that's a long time coming.

"In order to fight against external forces, we must first settle the domestic affairs. It is better to focus on the interior of the kingdom first."

Tapping her finger on the table, Lana also filled his empty cup with black tea again, and Lin said: "First of all, we must eradicate the spies planted by the empire in the kingdom, but we cannot eradicate them all at once, at least 1 or 2 must be left. "

Climb asked curiously: "Why? Wouldn't it be better to just eradicate them all?"

"No, that will make the empire alert, and only by leaving a few behind can we better send back false news and convince the empire more."

"With the excuse of investigating imperial spies, we can also exclude many people from the noble faction and the king's supporter faction. Mr. Lin, which faction do you think is suitable?"

"The King Supporters Faction."

That's categorical.

Climb's mouth twitched, wanting to ask why, weren't the King Supporters on the side of the royal family, but after a pause, he still closed his mouth and did not interrupt the topic.

However, as if they were taking care of him, the two of them still explained.

"There are also people in the King Support Faction who have been bribed by the Empire. They are just King Supporters on the surface, but in fact they have surrendered to the Empire. Of course, there are also people like this in the Noble Faction. Their purpose is to keep the kingdom divided. , so there is no need to feel bad about getting rid of such people.”

"That's it. Getting rid of the people who support the king will get the support of the aristocracy, and the proposal to investigate the imperial spies will be implemented smoothly. On the surface, it reduces the power of the royal family, but in fact it is a smoke bomb for the empire. And there are With my brother, Marquis Rebuen, there is no need to worry about the imbalance of power between the two factions."

This is the reason why the two of them are so confident.

"Does Princess Lana have a suitable candidate?"

"What about Baron Terry? First of all, he is a landless noble, and his title is not high. He is an insignificant role among the royalists. The most important thing is that some people accuse him of being related to Eight Fingers and secretly abducting women and children. dirty deeds."

"It seems we really have a good understanding."

A few words can decide someone's fate.

Clem was listening on the sidelines, obviously he was so understated and didn't think much about it, but for some reason he just felt that this was the best solution that the two of them came up with after a collision of genius minds in a very short period of time.

"Okay, I'll go back and prepare first."

After drinking the last sip of black tea, Lin stood up and suddenly asked before leaving: "Your Highness Lana, what do you think of the name Axis Theocracy?"

"…great name."

"I think so too. In addition, Your Highness Lana, black tea does not necessarily need to be brewed. If the same ingredients are stewed with milk, the flavor will be stronger than the current one. I call it milk tea. Please give it a try."

"I'll try it if I get the chance."

"Then I look forward to your next summons."

After saying that, Lin left the palace under the leadership of Clem. After the two figures appeared again in the courtyard, Her Royal Highness the Princess, who was sitting on the balcony, shook the bell in her hand. After a while, a maid came in.

"Your Highness Lana, what are your orders?"

"Thalia, can you please bring me some milk?"

"Please wait a moment."

After the maid left, Lana's sapphire eyes were still looking out the window.

Will you not just flatter and agree, but have your own unique insights and ambitions?

...so interesting.

The girl's smile was a little distorted.