I will be crowned king

The real...world of the old gods?

Anson was almost suffocated in disbelief, and words were no longer enough to describe the shock in his heart at this moment.

Professor Mace Honnard has mentioned more than once that the belief in the old gods in the Dark Ages was based on regions and families; in an area where the three old gods are generally believed, there must be one or two powerful spellcasters. The family dominates, rules, and manipulates ordinary believers like lords.

So... Rune is the family of spellcasters who ruled the Clovis City area during the Dark Ages?

And...this manor also...has another person...

apostle?

Anson, who forced himself to remain calm, swallowed hard.

He now finally understands why Mace Honard desperately wanted to run away after planning to seize the "Great Magic Book" and Lisa - what he was hiding from was not the church and the judge at all, but the apostle of the Rune family. !

How terrifying is the power of an apostle? It is described in "Research on the Three Old Gods":

"...They are creations that have reached the peak of perfection in a certain life form. They are existences that are extremely close to the three old gods. They are related to the fairies, angels, devils, nightmares, dragons and sea monsters in all ancient myths and legends.' The legends and records of the Apostles are always accompanied by various natural disasters that plunge the world into panic and despair..."

So it’s really not surprising that Mace Honnard wanted to run, let alone cowardly - rather, he dared to run and had the confidence to escape, which is already a sign of extreme bravery and confidence.

After figuring out all this, Anson's expression was finally no longer shocked; although his heartbeat was still beating as if it was about to burst out of his chest, his consciousness had completely calmed down.

That's right, there's nothing to be afraid of... Anyway, no matter how hard you struggle, it's pointless. If the opponent wants to kill you, he will already be killed the first time you enter the door.

Since there is no such thing, it means that everything is easy to negotiate; even if he is forced to swear and sign a deed of betrayal, he still has room for maneuver.

"As much as I want to say this, it's a pity that the so-called 'world of the old gods' no longer exists in this world."

Thalia said lightly, with a flash of regret in her eyes:

"The Kingdom of Knights established by the Church of Order and the Gifted Ones took away worldly authority and faith from the believers of the Old God hundreds of years ago; the original rings that once spread across the old world have also become invisible in the eyes of the world. of blasphemy.”

"The ancient and glorious caster family has either been slaughtered, or they can only huddle in the castles and manors in the wilderness, watching the ugly factories and dirty cities, bit by bit, swallowing up everything that was beautiful in the past... "

"It's so unfortunate." Anson sighed, but he didn't agree in his heart.

No matter how ugly the factory is, it is a comprehensive manifestation of emerging productivity and production methods; no matter how dirty the city is, it can greatly improve the quality of life of residents, which is better than huddled in a shack in the wilderness.

Living in an era where the fire of civilization only existed in ancient castles in the deep valleys and dense forests, huddled in shacks in the swamps and making a living by hunting and gathering wild fruits, spellcasters were able to do evil without any scruples. That was truly terrifying!

"In such a sad era, in order to continue the family and bloodline that have existed for thousands of years, even the Rune family and my father had to make compromises with reality."

Thalia sighed:

"We gave up all kinds of privileges and used our former wealth to join the circle of the new rich; we did our best to let the king and the church believe in our sincerity while putting down our dignity, and limited our living scope to a small manor."

A small manor... The corners of Anson's mouth twitched.

She was talking about this "small" Lund Manor, which covers an area of ​​more than 20,000 acres, has a castle and gardens comparable to a palace, plus a large forest and wilderness?

However, these words revealed a very important message, that is, the top leaders of the Kingdom of Clovis probably know the power behind the Luen family... Sophia mentioned that she had come here once with her father, which shows that the Archbishop is also very concerned about this. clearly.

This is very interesting.

Did Luther Franz conceal it from the top leaders of the church for some purpose? Or is the church acquiescing to the existence of these declining but powerful spellcaster families?

If it is the latter, then what are the interests of these two completely incompatible parties who are willing to maintain the status quo?

"But in recent times, even barely maintaining it has become increasingly difficult; the Church of Order's suppression of the Old God Sect has become more and more intense. No matter how we show our kindness, all we get is a cold shoulder."

The sighing girl put the last piece of foie gras into her mouth, and her pink tongue gently licked the fingers that had been smeared on the plate, as if remembering the passing taste:

"So we had to support Mace Honnard and do something a little more extreme...before he became a traitor."

"Like this riot?"

Anson asked rhetorically.

"Yes... If we can rely on riots to allow the ancient families who have good relations with the Luen family to take control of the Privy Council and oust the royal family, everything will be back on track."

Thalia said calmly, without any attempt to hide anything:

"But we failed, and failed miserably."

"As soon as the battle began, the most important chess piece betrayed his master; not only did the battle lead to inevitable failure, but it also almost caused the Rune family to lose an important blood relative; the Franz family and the Truth Society won The final victory, and the Osteria family saved their last face by abandoning the Guards who were loyal to them and humiliating their courtiers."

"So there are only two choices left for the Luen family: clean up the family and accept failure calmly; or overthrow everything and let things develop in the most irreversible direction."

"We chose the former."

So is this the reason why he can sit here alive instead of being killed by the other party while taking care of Mace Hornard?

Anson probably understood what the other party meant, but he continued to ask: "But what does this have to do with me?"

"Since you are Lisa's blood relatives, even though you can take her away in front of me, why do you have to let me be a guest in this manor?"

"As you said before, I am not qualified to be hung on those walls yet."

"But you have recovered a long-lost blood relative for the Rune family, which is more important than ten thousand Mace Honards." Thalia raised the corners of her lips:

"The Luen family will never neglect noble people who are kind to the family, not to mention... this is what Lisa asked for."

"Lisa?"

"Yes, her original words were 'Unless you can promise not to hurt Lisa and not let Lisa and Anson separate'...otherwise, she will beat me to death."

Thalia's emerald eyes flashed, and her smile became sweeter: "What a lovely child, how can I refuse my lovely sister's only request?"

Ansen, who nodded slightly, said nothing, waiting for the other party's next words.

"More importantly, considering Lisa's current mental state, it is almost impossible for her to start a new life in Lund Manor immediately; even if she is separated from you for only a moment, she will fall into an extremely restless state. Status." Thalia took a deep breath:

"I don't deny that when I first brought Lisa back, I only planned to treat you to a fine lunch and a most appropriate reward to express the Luen family's gratitude to you; but now it seems , at least for now, Lisa should stay with you."

"Gold, silver, jewelry... these all seem too shameful in front of your precious brother-sister relationship."

Anson kept smiling and tried not to show any regretful expression.

"I guess you won't let me take Lisa away so easily...right?"

The girl smiled noncommittally:

"She is a long-lost blood relative of the Luen family. It is a helpless act to hand her over to you. Of course, we need to set up some safeguards to ensure that a situation like Mace Honnard will not happen again."

"Your Excellency Anson Bach, we give you two choices."

As the words fell, the white dining table had been cleaned by the living dead male servants. Otto, the butler who exuded a cold chill, walked to Anson's side and placed a suitcase, a ring, and a promise in front of him. Books and a pen.

Anson’s eyes first fell on the contract:

"I swear by the Original Ring that I will never betray the ancient and noble Rune family; if I violate my oath, I am willing to bear the punishment of being torn apart."

Torn apart... Anson took a deep breath and immediately remembered the way Lawrence was turned into pieces by the black mage's look in the underground chamber of the cathedral.

"Inside the box is a banknote equivalent to ten thousand gold coins, as the Luen family's gratitude to you for finding our blood relatives."

Thalia pointed to the suitcase and said: "Take it away, and you will no longer have anything to do with the Luen family's affairs, and you will no longer have to worry about Lisa's affairs. This will be the end for you."

Anson raised his eyebrows: "Then Lisa..."

"Don't worry about Lisa. We have a way to make her forget you. It will take a little time, but it is not that difficult. My father is one of the only apostles left in the world, and it has not been completely solved for him yet. Things that can’t be accomplished.”

The girl's tone paused subtly, and her eyes glanced at the ring:

"Or...if you still miss my lovely sister, we also allow you to take her away; as a price, we need you to wear this ring that symbolizes the blood and friendship of the Luen family."

"In short, I will give up the position that originally belonged to Mace Hornard to you - of course, no matter which one you choose, you must sign this commitment letter."

Oh, that sounds good... Anson said silently in his heart.

The reason why Mace Honnard was able to become a black mage from an ordinary church college tutor mostly relied on the power of the Rune family; although once he accepted the ring, it was equivalent to reaching a certain level of interest with the Rune family. Binding, but with my current strength, this is not unacceptable at all...

etc.

What did she just say...give Mace Honnard's position...to me?

If I remember correctly, she seemed to have said another thing before...

"That's right, Your Excellency Anson Bach."

Thalia smiled lightly, and her soft words sent a chill down Anson's back:

"Take it, you will be my new fiancé~"

……………………

In the empty restaurant, Thalia, who was sitting at the dining table, looked at the foggy scenery outside the window and put a small piece of ice orange juice into her mouth, with a satisfied expression on her slightly bulging face.

"He left with the ring on?"

A hoarse voice sounded in the deserted room, as old as the friction of old leather.

"Yes, because he is very smart...or very timid."

Thalia, who didn't look back, replied while eating ice cream with a silver spoon, sitting on a high-back chair and shaking her white calves happily:

"He knows very well that once he chooses money, he will have no value to the Luen family; a worthless person holds so many secrets of the Luen family... What will be the end?"

"Promises and oaths are meaningless at all. The first day that kind of thing exists means that it will be broken at some point; the best way to build alliances and friendships is only blood and interests."

"But he is not a qualified believer of the old gods. He is a fool who doesn't even understand his own power... I doubt that he can even go so far as to blaspheme the mage."

There was some doubt in the old voice.

"It doesn't matter. This is no longer the age of the old gods, and a qualified spellcaster may not be loyal to the Luen family." Thalia shook her head with a smile:

"The Luen family has trained Mace Honnard for decades. Did he hesitate for a second when he betrayed him?"

“People’s hearts are not as old as they used to be.”

The old voice was quite emotional, while Thalia smiled and made no comment.

"So... as a sign of the times, the Luen family is going to have a son-in-law who is not even a blasphemy mage?"

"I didn't say I loved him."

Thalia was indifferent to the "provocation" of the old voice: "I just simply think that the plan he proposed is very interesting, and maybe it is feasible."

"Are you referring to the plan that requires us to abandon Lund Manor and bet everything on an illusory future?"

"Exactly." Thalia showed a sweet smile:

"If we can succeed, we can exchange a manor for a kingdom, a territory that the minions of the Church of Order cannot easily touch, a world that can rebuild the faith of the old gods; the ancient and glorious Rune family will also be able to survive for hundreds of years. The era after the year will once again bloom with glory.”

After finishing the last sip of ice orange juice in the cup, Thalia jumped off the chair and turned to look indoors; the exquisite marble restaurant was filled with countless flowing and squirming flesh.

The girl knelt down on one knee and looked at an old, almost expressionless face protruding from the flesh and blood on the ceiling with great admiration:

"And you will be the king of this new world."

"Father."