Meanwhile...
In the City of Glow
Hearing the noon bell ring, Horford Quinn put down his quill and looked toward the southwestern.
The news of the coronation of Prince Roland had not only spread throughout the whole of Graycastle, but also to the Kingdom of Dawn. According to the flyers distributed on the streets, this should be the very moment the young man was crowned.
Everything was happening so fast.
Horford found it hard to believe that the new king was several years younger than his daughter Andrea. Roland had now secured his throne and even extended his influence to the neighboring country.
After the war against the Moya Family, the name of Roland Wimbledon was known by every n.o.ble in the king"s city of the Kingdom of Dawn. In the beginning, the rumors about this extraordinary prince were just circulated among some underground Chambers of Commerce, but news of him soon spread throughout his country like wildfire.
Three years ago, Prince Roland had just been the insignificant lord of a remote town. n.o.body in the Wimbledon Family had thought he would become the sovereign of the state in the end.
His sudden rise was shrouded in mystery. A lot of his behavior was as unpredictable and bizarre as his unpresidented ascendancy. The coronation ceremony, for example, perfectly ill.u.s.trated the eccentricity in King Roland"s character. He was probably the only king in history who chose to hold the ceremony in the Months of Demons.
Kings with such unique characters typically emerged when the country was in a state of chaos or experiencing a civil strife. With the looming Battle of Divine Will, Horford felt that the world would soon undergo drastic changes.
"Your Majesty," The guard said, breaking his train of thought. "A letter from Sir Hill Fawkes."
"Really?" His eyes were back on his desk again. "Open it and read it to me."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
The word "Your Majesty" was indeed hypnotic. For the past 20 years, he had been the Hand of the King and had spoken those words countless times. Horford had thought he would be immune to the pleasant intoxication brought on by the sudden surge of power and prestige, but the truth was his heart swelled with pride every time somebody addressed him in this way.
Regardless, he should congratulate the new King of Graycastle.
Horford knew very well that his ascendancy to the throne was due to Roland"s support. It was not Sir Quinn"s swords those big n.o.bles feared, but the deafening thunder that could raze the whole city that Roland commanded. That was why his authority had yet to be challenged. Horford knew the best way to secure his grip on power was to form an alliance with Graycastle, particularly at this moment when everything was about to change.
"The letter says that Graycastle has sent a mining expedition to the border of our country. They"re expecting your a.s.sistance and support."
"Inform Earl Luoxi of this matter and tell him to greet the expedition with the knightage," Horford instructed immediately. "Also, inform all the local lords in that region and make sure the expedition gets what they need."
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Archduke Island, off the coast of the Kingdom of Wolfheart.
Although the town was far outside the range of influence of the Months of Demons, the wet, cold sea breeze made the whole town look desolate and grim. Few people could be found on the muddy streets, except in the dock area.
Despite the weather, an open air bar next to a warehouse drew a lot of attention. The bar offered cheap wines to sailors and travelers who want to warm up a little. Most of the customers simply came and left, but now there were around 100 people gathered about the bar.
A woman wearing clothes made of coa.r.s.e fabrics also approached the crowd.
"Farrina?"Someone whispered. "What are you dwelling on? We should go."
"Demons," she replied.
"What?" The latter"s expression changed.
"I heard somebody talking about the demons." The woman called Farrina said. "Just a moment, Joe."
The man hesitated. At length, he lowered his head and said in a hushed voice," Yes... Your Holiness."
"This isn"t an order." Farrina waved her hand and inched closer, hoping to hear more of the conversation.
"I"ve never seen such gruesome monsters. They had wings wider than a man and tusks bigger than our arms. City walls are nothing to them!" A merchant boasted. Now the center of attention for the surrounding people, he spoke even louder, "But that isn"t the worst of it. There"s another type of demon who looks like a man, but much stronger. Their spears are faster and deadlier than a balista. Armor is useless against them! I don"t mind if you laugh at me, but I almost peed my pants when I saw them."
People in the crowd gasped.
"Is it true? Are they invulnerable?"
"We couldn"t lay a finger on them if they are flying in the sky."
Still, some people looked incredulous.
"Get over with yourself! What demons — Do you even know the difference between demonic beasts and demons?"
"Go to Hermes Plateau and take a look! There are all kinds of monsters there. You seem to wet your pants easily. Don"t freeze your d.i.c.k off.
"What do you know about it?!" The merchant cried indignantly. "That"s how Prince Roland Wimbledon described them! He"s been living in the Western Region for many years, and he doesn"t know the difference between demonic beasts and demons? Rubbis.h.!.+ Demonic beasts are just dumb, roving mobs, but demons have well-trained armies. Have you ever seen animals coordinate attacks on a city, one after another?"
"If what you said is true, how did Graycastle drive them off?"
"You wouldn"t be able to understand. The situation was precarious, but suddenly thunder roared up from the city wall and pierced the sky." The merchant bragged, spraying his audience with spit. "The demons were instantly blasted to smithereens. Their blood splattered all over the ground. One of them fell right in front of the hotel I was staying at. There was a hole as big as a bowl in its chest. G.o.d knows how they did this!"
"Even ballista couldn"t do that. Based on what you said, isn"t the prince a G.o.d?"
"Haha. If he"s not, how do you think he wiped out the church?"
Hearing these words, Farrina"s hands currled into fists.
"..." Joe put his hand on Farrina"s shoulder and shook his head in silence.
"I know." Farrina took a deep breath and unclenched her fists. "What do you think?"
"The b.l.o.o.d.y Moon has not appeared yet. The demons shouldn"t have arrived at the Barbarian Lands. But his story fits the descriptions of the demons in the Holy Book. It doesn"t sound like a lie. I don"t... really know." Joe paused for a while and said, "But we have nothing..."
"Nothing to do with them." Farrina cut in. "You"re right, Joe. We have to take care of ourselves first."
After the death of the acting Pope, Tucker Thor, Farrina had followed his orders, retreating from New Holy City along with the rest of the Judgement Army. She had planned to re-establish the church on Archduke Island in the Kingdom of Wolfheart where the witch organization, the Bloodfang a.s.sociation, used to be. To prevent the resurgence of the witches, they had selected this fertile land as their new stronghold.
Yet to their great surprise, the news of the fall of Hermes had spread throughout the whole region. After learning the fall of Hermes, the bishop on Archduke Island had turned against the church and colluded with the n.o.bles. Now, he was known as the Earl of Archduke Island. To secure his new t.i.tle, he had even hanged the messengers from the church outside the city gate.
The unexpected betrayal was a heavy blow to the Judgement Army. Because of this, many of them had left the Judgement Army. Farrina had been living a clandestine life on Archduke Island for half a year and achieved nothing yet. If she could not re-establish the church and attract new believers, this would probably be the end of the church.
Without a doubt, the only way to save the church from this precarious situation was to execute the traitor as a deterrent.
The only problem was that the enemy also had a group of G.o.d"s Punishment Warriors.
It was going to be a bitter fight.
"Let"s get out of here." Farrina pulled up her hood and cast a last glance at the bar.
The merchant rambled on. "There are a lot of interesting things there! For example, black iron s.h.i.+ps as huge as hills, and a giant building taller than Tower of Babel. Once you see them, you"ll never forget!"
"C"mon, tell us everything. I"ll buy you another drink!"
"Were they all built by that Prince Roland?"
"Of course! But you can"t call him His Highness anymore. By the time I left Neverwinter, he had decided to ascend the throne! The date... let me see, right... it"s today!"
"Wow. So now he"s the King of Graycastle?"
"Haha, that"s right!" The merchant raised his winegla.s.s and said, "Since it"s his coronation day, let"s make a toast. To the King of Graycastle!"
"To the King of Graycastle!" The crowd raised their gla.s.ses.
"The King of... Graycastle?" Farrina sneered. "Be whatever king you like. The Battle of Divine Will would eventually reduce the whole world to ashes. We"ll sooner or later meet again in the h.e.l.l. The only problem is who"ll go there first. If I fail to defeat the traitor, I"ll be there before you; If I win, then I"ll wait for the news of your fall right here."
"King Roland Wimbledon," thought Farrina savagely.