I will be crowned king

The dull silence lasted for half a minute after the Archbishop's words fell. In the empty prayer room, it was as if the sculpture of the Ring of Order on the wall had become their audience, expressionlessly waiting for someone to give the answer. Answer.

As if completely unaware of the impact of what he just said, Luther Franz even took out the cigarette box and matches from his arms and played with them casually.

"...I think you completely misunderstood what I meant."

Taking a deep breath, Anson, who was slightly out of sorts, regained his composure: "Overthrowing the existing system and shuffling all the forces... I have never thought about such a thing."

"But if it happens smoothly, you probably won't refuse."

Luther Franz lit the match with a "pop", and the sudden light illuminated someone's face who looked slightly uneasy, as if his little thoughts had been revealed: "In other words, this is what is in your best interest. the result of."

"If you think about it carefully, it is not difficult to find that no matter the Storm Legion, the Bach Family or the Shotgun Club, these 'basics' of yours are currently the fringe forces in Clovis City. They will still stand even when you are so passive. Your reason is actually very easy to understand - that is, compared to you, these people don't even have the capital to resist."

"An under-appreciated school of thought, a small family from the countryside, marginalized people who are excluded from the army... It can be said that they must go all out to support you; after all, if they can even make a slight comeback, upwards The hope of climbing can only lie with you."

"In this case, complying with their expectations and completely shuffling the entire upper level of Clovis is not only the most beneficial choice for you, but also for them - when the people on the edge want to challenge the center of the circle, waiting for those who originally stood close The fate of those in the middle will not be as simple as being marginalized.”

"No offense intended, but I feel like this is purely an unfounded inference of guilt."

Even though he knew that he could not afford to offend the other party now, Anson could only bite the bullet and refute. After all, no matter how much he went on, he would not sound in line with the "loyal minister" persona he had created: "Even if it is really in my interests, It doesn’t mean I will definitely do this, right?”

"So what you're saying is that even if you have such an opportunity, you won't take action?"

"I……"

As if he really realized that he was indeed too aggressive, the Archbishop silently handed the lit cigarette to Anson, and he slowly took out another one from the cigarette case.

"Well, since you are unwilling to answer, I won't embarrass you; it is indeed a little harsh to ask you to give the answer before things happen."

"As compensation, I can answer one of your questions." Luther Franz held a cigarette in his right hand: "And if I guess correctly, what you want to know should be information about Maurice Périgord. Right?"

"Exactly."

Anson immediately cheered up and said with a serious face: "Why did he appear in Clovis City, what was the purpose of bribing the 'Whisper' gang, and...why on earth did he want to help me?"

And why, even though he had already opened up his territory, the other party was still able to kill Whisper in front of him without leaving any traces... Of course, Ansen would not take the initiative to ask.

"Why did Maurice appear in Clovis, why did he bribe the gangsters in the outer city, and for what purpose was he willing to help you." Luther Franz smiled: "You asked three questions in one breath, but this I happen to be unable to answer you three questions.”

"well?"

"Don't be so surprised. From his actions, you can probably know that the other party entered Clovis City quietly in private. He did not apply or report to the Clovis Diocese at all... Even the inquisitor did not know about his arrival. As the Archbishop, of course I have no way of knowing.”

Looking at the slightly astonished Anson, Luther Franz chuckled: "But according to my speculation, he should have come about half a year ago, well... that is, during the most critical period of the Holy War, the entire Kremlin The energy of the Lovi diocese is all involved in the holy war, and there is no time to take care of one or two priests who hide their identities, so it is not that difficult. "

"Buying the gangsters... If the information you have is true, then it is very likely that the Ministry of War is somewhat aware of this matter, and some higher-ups even provided him with a lot of help, but this can only be a guess."

"As for why he helped you... this is really a delicate topic, because the Maurice Périgord I know has absolutely nothing to do with being helpful. He is an extremely rational and selfish person. Guy...did he tell you anything about himself?"

"I only said one thing." Anson flicked the ashes of his cigarette: "He used to be a member of the Truth Society, and he is still in contact with them even now."

"That's it."

The old man nodded slightly and moved his dim eyes slightly, seeming to be thinking about something:

"During the rebellion in Clovis City, you had interactions with those members of the Truth Society, and also during the Battle of the Court of Yser. The New World Holy War finally ended with the mediation of these daring madmen. The least bad way to end.”

"I'm afraid that in the eyes of this 'former member of the Truth Society,' you are probably already one of them, right? Since he is still in contact with the Truth Society, it is not completely unmotivated to want to interfere in your affairs. .”

"But...why?"

"Yeah, why?" the old man who didn't answer the question asked back: "Maybe it's because your next actions happen to be in line with his ideas and interests... We have no way of knowing, we can only take it one step at a time."

"But I do think that he is probably deliberately inducing you to deviate in the wrong direction... Now he has sneaked into Clovis City anonymously. For a selfish guy, he needs to risk his life to complete the meeting. , which proves that this matter is really important.”

"After all...even if you shoot him to death now, no one will know that you did it. It may even take a long time before anyone finds the body of the missing monastery deacon."

……Um? !

The stunned Anson couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. Is it really okay to say this from an archbishop?

Yes, he also knew that there seemed to be quite a bit of conflict between the Diocese of Clovis and the Holy See, but he wouldn't say something like "Even if the deacon of the monastery died here, no one would know about it", right? !

The old man holding the cigarette butt didn't seem to realize there was anything wrong with what he just said. He didn't smoke, but quietly watched the flames burning on the cigarette butt.

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing!" Anson quickly changed the subject: "It's just... I thought people like you would prefer pipes."

"You are absolutely right... I have never smoked this kind of cigarettes, and I can't accept cigars very well; it's not just the taste, but more of a habit." The Archbishop nodded slightly: "But I firmly believe that this kind of cigarette is more uniform and cheaper. The production method will become a recreational choice for more people, do you know why?”

"...because it's cheap?"

"This is just one of the reasons at most. In fact, if you smoke pipes for a few more years, you will know that even if you include the cost of buying the pipe itself, for an ordinary person who has been smoking for more than ten years, these two things are worth a lot of money. There is no difference on the pins.”

The old man shook his head: "No, it's not cheap, it's convenient."

"convenient?"

"Pipe smoking is a... very leisurely enjoyment, which means that it requires some time cost; you can rest quietly while smoking it, read, watch a play, do some paperwork, drink A cup of coffee…no problem.”

"Cigarettes can also do these things, but they are more convenient and do not need to choose the time, place and occasion. This is its advantage."

"The price is of course also part of its advantage...Although the final result seems to be almost the same, the disparity in unit price often causes great deception; a little bit of effort and loss seems so meager, making it easier to desire this kind of People who enjoy it let their guard down.”

The archbishop spoke to Ansen like an experienced businessman, but his calm voice and eyes always focused on him made Ansen feel that the other party meant something.

"...This is the only thing I can tell you. At least for now, Maurice Périgord should not pose any threat to you."

It seemed that he was a little tired, and the Archbishop's voice began to become slightly weaker: "For you, the most important thing now is still the upcoming trial."

"How you are going to overturn the accusations against you by the War Department in an upright manner in front of the public...especially in front of the Privy Council and the Royal Family will be the key to deciding whether it is worth it for you to give up the New World and return to Clovis."

"I don't want to interfere with your decision, but...now that you're here, it's best not to do anything that you will regret."

"Of course I understand this, but..." Anson nodded: "If I remember correctly, after the original court date was postponed, it should be nearly half a month later."

It is already December, and half a month later it will be the New Year... Anson actually made this time somewhat deliberately. No matter what the final result is, this trial will be completely impossible to overturn within this year. Once the New Year passes, at least From a sensory perspective, this matter is already a done deal for many people.

Don't underestimate this "illusion"... The Army Department's ability to mobilize accusations against itself is partly due to "illusion"; incomplete evidence and one-sided information, taking advantage of the existing emotions within the Army, Shaping the Storm Legion into a heinous existence.

"No, the court date has been adjusted to three days later." The archbishop objected: "Frankly speaking, you don't have much preparation time."

"Three days later?!"

Anson's pupils shrank suddenly: "This...when was this decided?"

"Just now, to be more precise, an hour before you came." Seeing that the cigarette was about to burn out, Luther Franz put out the butt:

"The Ministry of War discovered the abnormal actions in the outer city. After determining that it was a 'whisper', it took decisive action and submitted an action application to the Privy Council."

"Due to the urgency of the time, the Privy Council did not respond, but His Majesty Carlos II approved the action of the Ministry of War against all objections. Now that the culprit is about to be brought to justice, the trial that was originally delayed because of this chaos seems to be over. There is no need to wait any longer.”

"Of course, all of this is His Majesty's own independent judgment, and no one has provided any additional inducement. As the Archbishop, I will never interfere in secular affairs... Do you understand?"

I understand, I understand nothing more... Ansen nodded slightly, and while expressing his understanding, he quickly asked another very crucial question:

"So...does the War Department know about this?"

"Them? This is His Majesty's final decision. How could they know it so quickly?" Luther Franz asked expressionlessly:

"According to normal procedures, since His Majesty has decided this matter, there is no need to go through the Privy Council discussion and it can be directly handed over to various departments and courts for implementation. If the Ministry of War wants to understand the process, they can send people to the Privy Council to inquire. , and if they don’t do this, then... no one has the obligation to remind them, right?”

Anson's eyes widened: "In other words..."

"If nothing else happens, they will be notified of the court session on the last day." The archbishop nodded slightly: "This is your opportunity. How to make good use of these three days depends on you."

"As the Archbishop of Clovis, I absolutely cannot and will not interfere with the outcome of the court trial, and the same goes for the royal family; but on the other hand, as long as the court gives a final conclusion, no one can easily overturn it."

"Because this is not just a trial, dear Anson, do you know what it means?"

"Couldn't be clearer."

Anson smiled slightly: "I won't let you down in the internship after the interview."

"Very good, then I'll wait and see." Luther Franz also smiled: "In this way, let's make a bet... If you win this trial, I will tell you another thing about Mo The Secret of Rhys Périgord.”

"If I guess correctly, you should have a lot of information you want to know about the person in charge of this monastery; not only that, I can also quietly use some of the connections and resources of Clovis Cathedral to help you with it. Confrontation...if it comes to that."

"Of course, correspondingly, if you lose the trial..."

"That's not possible."

Putting out the cigarette butt in his hand, Anson, who was full of confidence, directly interrupted the Archbishop's words:

"Because this is not a trial, but my real debut in Clovis, you just have to look forward to my appearance on stage."