I will be crowned king

Thick gray fog shrouded the dome of Clovis City. It was already daytime, but the entire city was as dark as midnight, without any light; there were only ashes and bones in the dead streets, and the occasional rummaging among the bones. Meat scraps and hyenas roaming in small groups.

"Boom——!!!"

The exploding firelight lit up the dark streets, and also "lit" were the figures struggling in the firelight - large areas of ignited buildings and ruins of barricades were either set on fire or torn apart by shotguns. The thugs whose flesh and blood were separated, or whose limbs, limbs and torso were broken by solid bullets, collapsed on the ground and howled uncontrollably.

Behind them were hundreds of "companions" of thugs who were fleeing in panic and still unwilling to abandon their belongings;

In front of them, there were line infantry in red and black old military uniforms in formations with guns raised, forming layers of horizontal lines, and four six-pound infantry cannons following closely behind the line, dragged by pack horses.

"All preparations - second round of calibration!"

Ludwig Franz, who was wearing a general's uniform and with one hand behind his back, raised his bright silver command knife above his head and stood at the front of the line like a military flag, giving orders with a stern face.

Immediately behind him, Guards Major Fabian, who was sent as a liaison officer and "guide", looked pale, and his legs were shaking as he stood upright. A sharp contrast.

He could even feel the disdain that the young major general and son of the archbishop would always "inadvertently" show when he looked at him... Major Fabian even regretted why he was being raped by the commander of the Guards. Didn’t he refuse when the call was called?

Probably because he can earn enough capital from this "Savior of the Royal Capital" to make it easier to change jobs?

However, Major Fabian, who is dedicated and cherishes his life, will never reveal such small emotions in front of the other party; although if he really knew what the Archbishop's own son was thinking, he would not have such concerns .

After witnessing the riots in Clovis with his own eyes, Ludwig did not have any disdain for the officers of the Guards; on the contrary, these professional officers left a deep impression on him, both in terms of quality and discipline. The speed is much stronger than his own Thunder Castle levy force.

He was just confused as to why these Guards were so "merciful" to the rioting thugs - only a small amount of shelling and volley fire, and even intimidating shouts before attacking.

What's the point? Isn't it just a waste of time to raise your hands and surrender once you threaten someone?

Armed cavalry is a good choice, but why are the cavalry only equipped with sabers and revolvers, without grenades or large-caliber shotguns?

Don't they know that the best way to deal with undisciplined and unorganized thugs is to charge with shrapnel and bayonet?

There are also trench warfare weapons such as Molotov cocktails and fuel spray guns. Wouldn't they be more effective in cities with narrow streets?

Ludwig was extremely confused by all the situations that led to the Guards' inefficiency in combat, and even the fact that professional legions were suppressed and beaten by thugs. He could only attribute it to the fact that the Guards were stationed in the royal capital all year round, so their training and fighting methods were too old. Old, and more afraid of death.

“Fire—!”

Along with the falling bright silver sabers, four six-pound infantry cannons roared at the fleeing thugs.

Deafening explosions resounded throughout the streets, and in the thick smoke, the barricades and ruins blocking the line of infantry were instantly turned into powder; all the thugs who had no time to dodge were destroyed by shell fragments and rubble from exploded buildings. Harvest life.

Almost at the same time as the sound of the artillery faded out, the first row of infantrymen squatted down neatly, and the neatly aligned Leyden rifles blasted milky white smoke towards the crowd; the panicked crowd continued to fall under the orderly gunfire. .

"Soldiers—fix bayonets!"

Looking at the thugs who had suffered heavy casualties and continued to flee amid the sound of gunfire, Ludwig gave the last order, and the command knife in his hand swung down again like an executioner's decapitating axe.

"Long live Clovis-!!!"

A uniform shout broke out from the line, and the line infantrymen with their rifles and bayonets shining brightly on them launched a wave-like charge towards the mob; the bright bayonets were like a wave under the cover of grenades and skirmishers. Cutting into butter and piercing into necks and chests one after another.

After repeated blows, the thugs who finally couldn't hold on completely collapsed and began to flee for their lives in the surrounding streets and narrow alleys in an orderly manner; however, what they didn't know was that the legion's skirmishers and chasseurs were already waiting nearby. , lead bullets and sabers are like hunting, hunting down all the lonely figures in the smoke and fog.

Seeing the battle that ended in an instant before his eyes, Major Fabian, standing behind Ludwig, looked even paler.

The archbishop's own son... was not trying to quell the riots at all, but was using war to surround and suppress these almost unarmed thugs.

Of course, it must be admitted that this method is really effective, especially in such extraordinary times.

In the messy streets, the line infantrymen who had finished the battle began to clean up the battlefield - shooting at corpses that were suspected to be alive, or stabbing the corpse's neck with a bayonet; the wandering chasseurs used sabers and revolvers to capture the prisoners. They were driven into a row against the wall, and then the prepared skirmishers shot them in rows.

"This completes the cleanup of Friedrichstrasse and all surrounding neighborhoods."

Looking at the smoke filling the air and the gunfire that lit up from time to time, Ludwig Franz nodded slightly and glanced behind him:

"Where's next?"

"It's Whitehall Street, Major General!"

Major Fabian replied quickly, recalling all relevant memories in his mind:

"It was previously used as a garrison and barracks by the security forces of Clovis Cathedral. After the riots began, Lieutenant Colonel Anson Bach led the security forces to garrison the cathedral, and the barracks on Whitehall Street was captured by a group of thugs. The fortress controlled by them!"

Fabian was very clear about his position in front of the Archbishop's own son - Ludwig did not need any experienced "elders" or "seniors" to provide advice, all he needed was someone who could help him understand the general situation. Just a guide.

"Anson Bach..."

Ludwig, who was muttering to himself, suddenly revealed a slightly unclear meaning: "How is he now?"

"It's not very clear, but it is said that the riot near the cathedral has ended." Fabi settled down for a moment and answered vaguely:

"The Guards did not receive further intelligence from the cathedral, so Lieutenant Colonel Anson Bach should not have been injured."

As one of the persons in charge of investigating and tracking the "Steel Sky Suspect", Fabian certainly knew about the relationship between Ludwig and Anson Bach, and he mentioned this matter deliberately:

"It's not far from the cathedral. Do you want to send someone to ask?"

"No, I believe he is fine."

Ludwig waved his hand, with a faint smile on his stern face: "If even the Imperial people of Thunder Castle can't kill him, then there is no reason for him to die in the hands of a group of thugs who don't know how to fight!"

"Roman, what do you think?"

Looking at Major General Ludwig's glance back at him, the expressionless Lieutenant Colonel Roman just nodded slightly:

"You are right, Major General; Lieutenant Colonel Anson Bach... is a person who can come back from the dead and always surprises those around him."

"The surprise is true, but coming back from the dead is too exaggerated."

Ludwig shook his head and did not take Lieutenant Colonel Roman's "joke" seriously: "How long will it take for the soldiers to clean up the battlefield?"

"Fifteen minutes, Major General."

"Then ten minutes, and try to capture the military camp on Whitehall Street before eleven o'clock!"

"yes!"

Amidst the smoke of guns and the roaring footsteps of the mounted infantry, the 8,000-strong Thunder Fort levy force began to march to the next block.

The total number of thugs, robbers, heretics and deserters who poured into the inner city during the entire riot exceeded one hundred thousand; but as the riot intensified, they also made the same mistake the initial Guards made - they were dispersed very evenly. Every neighborhood.

And as the fanatics who besieged the cathedral collapsed, the thugs who surrounded the Osteria Palace and the royal family reached an agreement with the Privy Council. The rest were all leaderless, with only the dregs of smashing, looting and burning on their minds.

Not only do these people have no discipline at all, there is no so-called unity. Even because of the uneven distribution of the loot when they robbed property, they have already started hundreds of wars with each other. Before the Guards and the levy army could take action, , and there were countless casualties in the cannibalism.

Faced with such a group of enemies who had no intention of fighting, Ludwig led the levy force, centering on the Royal Central West Railway Station and the Osteria Palace, and wiped out the thugs block by block in an almost devastating manner.

He did not leave any troops to guard or maintain law and order in the cleared streets, and even deliberately allowed a small number of thugs to flee to the cleared areas. Then he mobilized the entire army in regiments to attack the central area where the thugs fled.

For a whole day and night, the inner city of the royal capital, which was still enjoying prosperity during the war, fell into a purgatory of artillery fire and pools of blood. For the first time, many people saw for the first time what terrifying power the poor people living in dire straits in the outer city could unleash. , and how important it is to have an army that is strong enough to protect everyone and suppress this terrorist force.

On March 2nd, at 20:37, under the command of Ludwig Franz, the Thunderburg levy force successfully recaptured the Old Wall Street.

The riots that lasted for nearly a week came to an end in a seemingly perfect way.

But for many, the storm is far from over.

………………

"Invitation?"

In the ward that was filled with the smell of disinfectant, Anson was sitting on the bed, holding up a card and looking at Sierra Vigil who was sitting beside his bed with confusion on his face.

"That's right."

The female judge nodded slightly and added expressionlessly: "It is a very precious invitation."

precious? How precious can an invitation be... Anson looked at the card in his hand with a blank expression: the light white cardboard exuded a faint fragrance; the edges of the letter paper were decorated with golden iris flowers that had a very imperial style, and they were not printed patterns. , but really sewn with gold thread.

Opening the card, a string of elegant characters came into view. If you look carefully, you can see that the handwriting is shining, probably because silver powder was sprinkled on the card.

Well, at least it's definitely not cheap. The value of the letter alone will not be less than sixty gold coins... Anson, who was complaining silently in his heart, then focused on the content of the "invitation":

"Dear distinguished guest, the Luen family would like to extend a sincere invitation to you. We will hold a private luncheon at Lund Manor at twelve o'clock noon on March 7, the 100th year of the Saint's Calendar. We look forward to your visit."

The Luen family... Anson has some impressions of this surname. It is a family older than the Osteria royal family - although almost all ancient families are older than Osteria, which only emerged a few hundred years ago. The royal family is older.

"But what does this have to do with the Black Mage?"

When Anson just woke up and heard "The Black Mage is dead" from Cole Dorian, Sera Vergil gave him a meaningful look, which was obviously not unrelated to this matter.

"It's a big relationship." The female judge said softly:

"Remember when that idiot Cole told you that no other spellcaster entered the cathedral and the chamber except the Black Mage and Bloen?"

"Remember, he said...you told him."

Sera Vigil nodded: “I lied.”

"There was a third spell caster in Clovis Cathedral at that time, and if I'm not mistaken, she... is probably also a blasphemous mage."

"What?!"

This time Anson was really shocked.

One Mace Honard had nearly turned the entire city of Clovis upside down, and now she told herself... there was another one? !

Is the book "Research on the Three Old Gods" a lie, and blaspheming mages is not rare at all, or is the entire city of Clovis actually the underground base camp of the Old Gods? !

"You seemed surprised when Cole said that the Black Mage was dead." Sera Vigil continued:

"I guess you didn't kill him outright, right?"

"You mean that the blasphemous mage who killed Mace Hornard...was a member of the Rune family?"

"It is very possible that Lisa's disappearance may also be related to her." The female judge whispered:

"Otherwise, if she had just killed the Black Mage, she would not have given this invitation to me specifically, and would have entrusted me to give it to you."

"Have you met her?!"

"No." Sera Vergil said calmly: "But she obviously knew that I was a black mage and handed it to me through mind reading."

In disbelief, Anson tried his best to suppress his complicated emotions. After a few seconds of silence, he said solemnly:

"Where is the Lund Manor... located on this letter?"

"I don't know. The Luen family is the oldest wealthy family in the Kingdom of Clovis, but it is quite low-key. Only a few wealthy nobles can come into contact with them."

Sera Virgil looked at Anson and said in a calm tone:

"But I know someone who might be able to help you."