Chapter 309 (1): I Choose Auston—He’s the One with Popular Support

When her ally wanted to speak up, Sophelia frowned slightly. The matter with the Lando family had been settled. What more did the Death Knight wish to speak on? Was he dissatisfied with how she had handled things?

What did the matter between her and her subject have to do with the Death Knight? Had Douglas orchestrated this, bringing the Death Knight into his plan against the Lando family?

My dear consort, you’ve gone too far!

Seeing Auston’s panicked expression, Sophelia closed her eyes and pondered for a moment, saying nothing. As a qualified politician, she knew who mattered more right now—Auston or the Death Knight.

Douglas had been worried that no one would dare to speak up. When the Death Knight voiced his dissent, Douglas broke into a smile. The kick to his rear had been worth it. The Death Knight proved reliable at the crucial moment!

Rupert and Barney, the two pieces of trash, coveted the Lando family’s assets and had agreed to lead the charge in exchange for rewards, but they became too frightened to make a sound as soon as the Queen opened her mouth. How could cowards like them ever achieve anything significant in the future?

Unlike Silvia, who was curious about what the Death Knight was going to say, Filomina tensed visibly. A legendary mage’s perception far exceeded that of a Gold-ranked mage. She could sense that the instant Auston hardened his voice, several legendary mages had looked this way. There was an ambush in place. As soon as Douglas shattered the wine glass, the legendary mages would swarm in.

Auston... Auston was panicking. He glared at the Death Knight as if he were glaring at the murderer of his father.

“Based on my amateurish judgment, the Lando family clearly shows disloyalty. They claim to serve the Queen, yet harbor dissents toward the Prince Consort. What would you call such behavior?”

Wayne scanned the crowd. When no one played along, he answered himself, “It’s blatant disrespect for the sovereign. They are clearly preparing for rebellion!”

Sophelia sighed inwardly. As she had thought, Douglas had gotten the Death Knight on his side. It was her fault for making Douglas the liaison, giving him a chance to orchestrate this. She also made a mistake in how she had distanced herself from Auston. She should’ve paid more attention to her husband’s feelings rather than glossing over Auston every time he came up, making her seem guilty.

Although she did have a guilty conscience, it was all in the past.

“Sir Knight is right!”

Douglas nodded. Great minds thought alike. He also found Auston arrogant and insubordinate, born with a rebellious bone that made him a natural villain. Everyone should punish a treacherous subject!

“I’ve stayed silent until now, observing all of you and the royal family, as well as the way the Lando family had quietly endured until they reaffirmed their bottom line. I saw many admirable qualities in Auston, better than the royal family.” Wayne spoke as the Death Knight.

Everyone froze. Sophelia and Douglas both looked over at the Death Knight, wondering if the knight was being sarcastic.

“First, all the Tulip Families present are fence-sitters who submit only because of the royal family’s prowess. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve always believed that only raw power is true power. The royal family is qualified to command the Tulip Families.”

Wayne stood and slowly left his seat. “Compared to the Lando family, however, that submission seems like a joke. I almost thought that you were all court jesters whom the Queen kept.”

“Look at Mr. Auston. He’s been loyal to the royal family, only giving up his loyalty because the Prince Consort crossed the line. He took a stand not for family interests, but for those he cares about. That sense of loyalty and devotion is admirable.”

“...” xN

Everyone was confused by the Death Knight’s praises for Auston. Silvia didn’t understand it, either. As far as she knew, the father and son had a strained relationship, and they annoyed each other with little tricks every now and then. Why, then, would her son suddenly compliment his father against his tendency? Was this the latest way of putting someone down before hyping them up?

She should wait and see.

How are you still enjoying the show at a time like this? The Death Knight is coming this way!

Filomina was almost dying from anxiety. She telepathically warned Silvia about the ambush. They were outnumbered. Even if Wayne transformed into the Nature Knight to fight the Death Knight, they would still be surrounded by legendary mages. They would become a burden and drag Wayne down.

Good girl, you truly care about Wayne.

Silvia raised her eyebrow. It was said that fair-weather friends weren’t true friends. She approved of this daughter-in-law. Aside from her slightly older age, she had almost no flaws. Her feelings were clearly genuine, unlike that shameless hag who only wanted her son’s body.

Bah, the depravity!

“Mr. Auston is loyal and devoted. Compared to him, the other Tulip Families present are trash.” Wayne sneered with his skull face. “Don’t take it personally. I’m not singling anyone out. I mean that everyone here is trash!”

“When the royal family is strong, you willingly submit. When the royal family shows the slightest weakness, you get ideas. Loyalty that isn’t absolute is absolutely no loyalty. As a knight, I cannot stand your kind.”

“...” xN

If you aren’t impossible to defeat, you’ll get a lesson today!

xN

Drop Shadow Nightmare if you’re so brave. Without it, you’ll be a coward, too. Who are you to judge us?!

xN

They were indignant, but the Death Knight’s prowess kept their heads low and their lips sealed. They found themselves an excuse: the Queen’s ally represented the Queen. Talking back to her ally would be akin to refuting her. They were displaying great loyalty by taking the criticism without resistance.

Wayne glanced at the crowd with contempt before continuing to praise Auston, ignoring the way Auston’s eyes widened with threat.

“Auston has pledged his loyalty to the Queen. It was Prince Consort’s aggression that drove him to rebellion,” Wayne said cheerfully. “I won’t elaborate on the specific reasons. I heard plenty about the Queen and Mr. Auston’s affair while slumbering in the Great Cemetery in the Western District.”

“Those unruly residents would say anything when visiting the tombs, such as the Queen and Auston helping each other, such as Auston clapping the Queen, such as her sitting on him. Even I felt embarrassed hearing the depraved and repulsive words. I won’t repeat them here.”

Wayne wanted to say more, but Silvia’s stiffened smile made him wisely end the topic.

“As you can see, I’m a skeleton who doesn’t understand carnal pleasure. Death grants me eternal tranquility. I never think about

that

, much less try it.”

“Well said!” Forest nodded.

“But I can understand Prince Consort. He’s a man of status. Someone like him wouldn’t be able to tolerate his wife having a suspicious relationship with a subject...”

“Although seven out of ten sentences are false, the Queen and Auston used to be lovers, and the rumors aren’t completely baseless—things that would displease the Prince Consort have happened.”

“Sir Knight!” Douglas interrupted the knight with a dark expression. He was grateful that the Death Knight was speaking up for him and taking words out of Douglas’s mouth; however, too many irrelevant topics had been brought up, and the knight was not only taking words out of Douglas’s mouth but also the depths of his heart.

“Apologies, Your Highness. Only by pointing out that you are a victim can I properly justify your behavior.” Wayne apologized. “So you see, there’s a reason that the Prince Consort finds Auston disagreeable. It’s unrelated to loyalty or politics. It’s purely personal grudges.”

...

Are you sure you’re justifying my action, not kicking me while I’m down?

Douglas thought.

“The Prince Consort has his difficulties, and the Queen has her troubles. After all, Auston is so competent that he makes the Prince Consort pale in comparison.”

“...” xN

The Death Knight kept subverting expectations, speaking for the Prince Consort one second before backstabbing him the next. Outside of Auston, no one knew what the knight was getting at.

“The Prince Consort has done no wrong, nor has Auston. The Queen, especially, hasn’t done anything wrong. Things only get to this point because the royal family has grown their power, leaving the Lando family helpless. That’s why Auston could not stay loyal.”

Wayne pointed at Auston with two skeletal fingers. “Your mistake is being weak. With the royal family getting stronger, and the Prince Consort gaining influence, you cannot be loyal no matter what you do.”

He tilted his head at Auston. He had made his reasoning clear. He hoped that Auston would stand up now. In the longer history of his home world, there had been plenty of examples of harmonious relationships between the lords and their subjects souring. There was a blunt saying that he found very insightful:

Shang Yang knew the strength of horses, and Bi Gan knew human hearts[1].

Once the rabbits were hunted, the hunting dog would be cooked, too. Being someone’s lapdog never ended well!

“Auston is loyal and devoted. The Lando family is being bullied because he is weak. That is the truth!”

Wayne led the applause, but no one responded except for Auston, who was shaking with rage.

Forest blinked and watched the unfolding drama with amusement.

The Tulip Families stayed silent, and Sophelia and Douglas scowled wordlessly. Douglas, especially, was already regretting letting the Death Knight speak. He didn’t have to think with his brain to know the kind of rumors these members of the Tulip Families would be spreading after tonight. While feeling resentful, though, he was also somewhat expectant, wanting to know how the trash would spin the lies.

Better make it good! He couldn’t deal with the Death Knight, but he could deal with them!

“Have you considered what would happen if the power balance is tipped? If the Lando family becomes more powerful than the royal family, who will be in the wrong?” Wayne asked loudly.

It was a slippery slope no one dared to approach. They all kept their thoughts to themselves.

“Sir Knight, this is a banquet held at the Ministry of Magic’s headquarters, not an occasion for philosophical debates,” Auston said gravely. His expression was so dark, and his aura as grave as someone visiting a cemetery, that Silvia almost thought he would transform into the Darkness Knight.

“This isn’t philosophy, but a practical question.” Wayne ignored Auston’s warning looks. “Because the Lando family is weak, Auston is wrong. Even if he doesn’t want to rebel, he must bear the stigma of a rebel.”

“Similarly, if the Lando family is strong, Auston will be right. The royal family will be the ones in the wrong, and the Prince Consort will be seen as the overstepping fool!”

“The Lando family wishes to pledge loyalty, yet the Prince Consort leads the rebellion, insisting on putting the crown on the head of the Lando family!”

The members of the Tulip Families were nearly scared to death by his blunt claim. Though he was right, was it really appropriate to voice those words? Did he want to break the alliance?

“Compared to the cold-hearted royal family that discards people after using them, I admire a king who is loyal and devoted like Auston more!”

“Kekeke—”

As he spoke, Wayne went up to Auston and reached into the void, drawing Shadow Nightmare. With a swish, he held the blade to Auston’s neck.

1. This is a play on the saying, “When the journey is long, the strength of a horse shows, and as time goes by, the human heart (people’s true nature) is exposed.” Shang Yang was an official from the Warring States period. He was known for formulating revolutionary policies for the State of Qin and making it powerful, but in that, he became despised by the nobles, and ultimately, he was executed by the next ruler’s order, torn to pieces by horses. Bi Gan was the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Shang. It was recorded that King Zhou, the tyrant, executed Bi Gan for giving blunt advice and criticism, claiming that he wanted to see if Bi Gan’s heart really had seven holes—Bi Gan was said to be a sage with such an unusual heart, praising him for his wisdom and loyalty. ☜