Chapter 541: Chapter 514: Joint Signature

When Ronin returned to the Golden Feather Palace plaza, Carlos had already taken care of the remaining Madmen. He had also manipulated Flames to construct two cages, imprisoning Garrett and Ference separately.

Both men had already been seriously injured by Ronin, and Carlos had since exacted a bit of his own revenge. Now, they lay there like beaten dogs.

"Ronin, what are you going to do?"

The moment Ference saw Ronin return, he immediately began scrambling for a way to survive. The sight of Ronin killing Andrea without a moment’s hesitation had been a profound shock.

Ronin walked over and squatted beside Ference. He used his Spiritual Power to flip the man over, revealing a black wing tattoo on his back.

This was the mark of one who had accepted the Heart of the Storm to become a Wind Mage.

"When you stooped to becoming one of the Alien Races and conspired with Garrett and Serdil to kill His Majesty, you should have known the price of failure."

"No, no, no, Ronin! If you’re willing to spare my life, the Ferrensburg Duchy will pledge its allegiance to you from this day forward. We will even support you in becoming the new King!"

Ronin looked down at him with disdain.

’Even if what he says is true,’ Ronin thought, ’if I really let him go in exchange for support, wouldn’t I be siding with the Alien Races myself?’

Besides, Ronin wanted to become King to bring change to this society, and some parts of the old order needed to be shattered.

For example, he wanted to develop industry and improve productivity, but the prevalent system of slavery would be a considerable hindrance to his plans.

Using war to destroy the old classes and replace them with new people would make it easier to implement his policies.

Ronin had also thought things through clearly.

Bestowing Noble Titles and awarding lands were all possible, but they required constraints.

For instance, he planned to revoke the nobility’s right to levy taxes, their right to enforce their own laws in their territories, and their right to conscript soldiers, as well as limit the number of Knight Orders they could possess, and so on.

These reforms would be impossible without some bloodshed.

Historically, whenever there were major reforms, their architects rarely met a good end.

However, Ronin wasn’t worried.

This was the Extraordinary World, and this incident had made him realize that in the face of absolute strength, many things became much simpler.

No matter how difficult the reforms, his own life would not be in danger.

Of course, Ronin would still adopt a "boiling the frog" approach; he wouldn’t try to achieve everything at once.

First, he would get his own territory in order. Only by cultivating enough talented people who would unswervingly carry out his will could he implement his plans effectively.

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP...

The sound of urgent hoofbeats came from the distance as a group of people swarmed in. At the same time, Griffins began to land from the sky.

From the back of his Griffin, Duke Valgis looked down at the collapsed Oduin Hall and the ruined plaza below, his heart a whirlwind of emotions.

He had received a message from Garrett claiming that Ronin had killed His Majesty Bruno, so he had rushed over as fast as possible. He never expected to be met with a scene like this.

Valgis leaped down from his Griffin. He glanced at the trapped Garrett and Ference, then turned to Ronin with a frown.

"What in the world happened here?"

He asked, "Ronin, is His Majesty... dead?"

Valgis, of course, didn’t believe that Ronin would do something like kill Bruno. It was completely out of character for him.

Ronin nodded and glanced at Garrett, who was feigning death on the ground, before recounting the entire incident.

"This..."

Valgis was lost in stunned grief for a long moment.

Bruno’s death was already a cataclysmic event for the Oduin Kingdom, but to learn that Garrett was the patricide only made a terrible situation worse.

Putting everything else aside, who would be the next King?

Or would the Oduin Kingdom simply fracture, with the various nobles seeking their own protectors or declaring themselves kings in their own right?

He finally turned his gaze to Ronin. "What do you plan to do now?"

Of the Oduin Kingdom’s four dukes, only Ronin and Valgis now remained. Between the two of them, they were the most suitable to lead.

And due to family matters, Duke Valgis had effectively withdrawn from the center of power for many years.

Furthermore, his grandson was currently in the Wubei Territory, studying Magic under Elron as his master. Valgis had no desire to contend with Ronin over anything.

Ronin thought for a moment, then said, "I intend to, in my capacity as the Duke of Conqueror, invite all the nobles of the Kingdom, or their representatives, to the Golden Feather Palace to stand trial over Crown Prince Garrett for the crimes of patricide and treason."

"Of course, it would be best if you were willing to issue the summons jointly with me," he added.

Valgis considered this for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. We shall do as you say."

As he spoke, he turned to the Guard Officer who had accompanied him. "Kane, return to Gistana at once. Inform Commander-in-Chief Nissen of what has transpired here and have him reinforce the defenses along the border with the Ferrensburg Duchy."

Ronin nodded to himself. "You’re worried the forces of Ferrensburg will attack your territory?"

"The actions of the Alien Race cannot be predicted with conventional logic."

Valgis explained, "Now that Ference is captured, his duchy is leaderless and will surely fall into chaos. It wouldn’t be surprising if they launched a sudden raid on Gistana."

He added a reminder, "The same goes for the Villa Duchy without Andrea. They might even fall directly into the arms of an enemy kingdom."

"Andrea has been stirring up trouble on the border for a while now."

Ronin said, "However, my grandfather has already led a force to deal with the border situation. Unless the Villa Duchy musters its full strength, there shouldn’t be a problem."

Mobilizing the full might of a duchy couldn’t be done on short notice, so Ronin wasn’t worried.

As the two dukes spoke, the Ministers of the Kingdom who had rushed to the scene watched from a distance, not daring to approach. Instead, they conversed quietly among themselves.

Events had transpired quickly, but it was clear to any discerning eye who would be calling the shots in the Oduin Kingdom from now on.

"From now on, the Kingdom will likely belong to that young Duke of Conqueror."

Arsenno lamented. He still remembered when he and Bruno had discussed bestowing upon Ronin the title of Baron of Rapids Island.

Texas, the Minister of Justice, shook his head. "Actually, according to the law, with the Crown Prince, Ference, and the others having lost their right of succession, the first in line should be Eldest Princess Sharon, who is married to Count Ibn of Double Peaks Ridge."

"Furthermore, Duke Valgis’s wife is His Majesty’s paternal aunt, so their son also has Oduin blood and a claim to the throne."

That might be true, but as they looked toward Ronin, they all had the same thought. Would he willingly give it up?

Ronin and Valgis finished their conversation, and only then did the Ministers of the Kingdom approach.

Arsenno said, "Your Graces, on our way to the Golden Feather Palace, we saw that the entire Royal Capital is in chaos. With the Kingdom in this state, only the two of you have the authority to quell the unrest."

Ronin and Valgis exchanged a look. Neither had brought any troops, and it was impossible for them to suppress the chaos in an entire city by themselves.

"What about the Guards and the Garrison Officer?"

Valgis asked, "They should be holding their posts."

Arsenno glanced at Ronin, looking as if he wanted to say something but was holding back.

Ronin understood immediately. ’The Garrison Officer must have taken part in Garrett’s ambush,’ he thought, ’and died by my sword.’

"Where is Broel? Have him take temporary command of the Griffin Knight Order and the Defense Army to restore order in the city."

Ronin suggested, "With his influence in the Royal Capital, he must know many people, which will make arrangements easier."

"There are two other matters I’ll need your help with."

Arsenno and the other ministers nodded, indicating they were listening.

"The Duke and I have already discussed it. We need to convene a council of the Kingdom’s nobility to decide how to handle the Crown Prince. I hope you can help us send out the summons."

"The second matter is His Majesty’s funeral. Please arrange it with all haste. It would be best to hold it during the council of nobles."

Valgis nodded. "Do as Ronin says. I am going to pay my respects to His Majesty."

Arsenno and the others bowed in acceptance.

They could see that Duke Valgis clearly had no intention of letting his only surviving son, Paradro, make a claim for the throne.

That left only Eldest Princess Sharon of Double Peaks Ridge.

In fact, at that very moment, Count Ibn of Double Peaks Ridge was deeply troubled.

He had read the letter from Garrett countless times, but he still couldn’t make up his mind.

’Should I attack Mist City or not?’

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