Come to another world and become a lord

Chapter 210 The King's Response

The marble floor of the palace glowed coldly under the sunlight, appearing empty and majestic. On the magnificent throne, King Philip's expression was just like the cold marble, cold and stern with a hint of anger. His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, and he casually put aside the letter in front of him. The letter was from Karl Flandal in the North, explaining why he went to the grassland.

Philip's eyes were deep as he glanced at the ministers standing in front of him, with a hint of disdain in them.

"Orc?" He sneered, his tone full of sarcasm, "Does he think I will believe such a lame excuse? Am I a three-year-old child?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ministers rushed up like a tide, and their voices were like waves, vying to express their opinions.

"Karl is simply humiliating Your Majesty. It is unforgivable to deceive you with such a clumsy lie!" a minister shouted indignantly.

"He is so arrogant and does not take Your Majesty seriously. He is simply committing the crime of deceiving the king!" another minister echoed angrily.

The voices of the ministers rose and fell, as if they were competing for Philip's favor in an invisible competition. Everyone was convicting Karl, as if this would ensure their position in the king's mind.

However, Philip suddenly raised his hand, signaling the ministers to be quiet. He pondered for a moment, his expression solemn, as if he was thinking about something profound. The palace suddenly became silent, with only the occasional crackling of torches.

Then he suddenly said:

"But maybe...what he said is true."

The ministers were stunned and looked at each other, not knowing how to react. After a moment, one of the ministers broke the silence and asked with a tone of doubt and surprise:

“Your Majesty, are you saying that Karl didn’t lie?”

"That's right," Philip nodded, his fingers continuing to tap rhythmically on the armrest. "You also said that the excuse was so lame that it could be exposed at a glance. In that case, why did Carl tell such an obvious lie? The only explanation is that he didn't lie. There is indeed a threat from orcs in the North."

Once these words were spoken, a wave of discussion broke out in the court again. The ministers began to argue again, obviously expressing strong doubts about the king's judgment.

"Your Majesty, this is exactly Karl's conspiracy! He knew you would think this way, so he deliberately made up this lie full of loopholes to lure you into the trap!" A minister said anxiously, trying to persuade the king to change his mind.

"That's right. It is precisely because he has taken advantage of Your Majesty's tolerance and insight that he dares to despise the royal power. Carl has long had evil intentions, and the independence tendency in the North is becoming more and more obvious. He must be severely punished!" Another minister echoed eagerly.

At this moment, a minister who had been silent for a long time slowly stood up and said in a sonorous and powerful voice:

“Even if what Carl said is true, and there is indeed a threat from orcs in the North, this cannot be an excuse for him to aid the tribe. We must be vigilant. What is Carl’s real purpose in selling weapons to the tribe? Is it to be used against the orcs, or will it eventually be used against us?”

Philip's hand paused in the air, and his expression became complicated. The memory of going to the North to fight against vampires resurfaced in his mind. He had seen Carl's firearms, which were indeed extremely powerful. It was precisely because of the weapons he had that he was able to suppress the already violent Kingdom Army and control the situation.

If these weapons fell into the hands of the Great Khan, it would be a terrible thing. He couldn't even imagine it. His eyes couldn't help but look out the window, as if he was admiring this magnificent palace for the last time.

"Forget it, let's call it a day today." Finally, he waved his hand, with a hint of helplessness in his tone.

"Your Majesty!" The ministers were obviously unwilling and tried to continue expressing their opinions.

"I said, disperse." Philip's voice became colder, and the volume unconsciously increased.

Seeing the king's firm attitude, the ministers had no choice but to bow and leave. With reluctance and doubt in their hearts, they left the court one after another. The noise in the palace gradually dissipated, replaced by a depressing silence.

When the last minister disappeared behind the door, he sighed deeply, looking extremely tired. His eyes involuntarily fell on another letter on the table, which was sent by the third prince Gareth. Gareth's letter also explained the cause and effect in detail, obviously speaking for Carl. Even his own son stood on Carl's side, how could he not feel confused and unhappy?

He was getting annoyed and was about to crumple the letter when the servant came in quietly, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the messenger from Prime Minister Aaron wants to see you."

Philip was slightly surprised, but still waved his hand:

"Let him in."

A moment later, a hunchbacked wizard in black robes walked into the hall. It was none other than Casabelos.

He held the staff tightly with his claw-like hands, then bowed and saluted:

"See Your Majesty."

Looking at this strange guy, Philip just nodded slightly and asked coldly:

"How is the Prime Minister?"

Casabelos raised his head. It was still pitch black inside his hood, so his expression could not be seen.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is in good health, but he has been feeling quite depressed since his defeat in the battle with Carl."

"He deserves it!" Philip slapped the armrest heavily, with a hint of gloating in his tone. "At the beginning, he swore to me that he could handle the affairs of the North properly, but now? Even the family of the vampire Count Ford was wiped out by Carl."

Casabelos nodded silently and whispered, "Your Majesty is right."

"So, what does he want to do this time?" Philip snorted coldly, obviously extremely dissatisfied with the prime minister's performance.

Casabelos replied respectfully:

"This time, the Prime Minister just asked me to come and report."

Philip narrowed his eyes:

"report?"

"Karl has gained the support of the four earls in the North and will soon officially become the legitimate Duke of the North." Casabelos' voice was low but clear, "This means that we no longer have any reason to interfere in the North. And once he completes the coronation of the Duke, the next step is very likely to be to attack Sirod in the name of 'recovering the North'."

Philip was silent for a while, frowning.

"So, he wants a reasonable reason to attack Carl." Philip sneered.

Casabelos whispered:

"Your Majesty is wise. Carl aided the grassland tribes, which is enough to constitute treason."

"No." Philip suddenly interrupted him, his voice firm, "I will never charge Karl with treason."

Casaberos lowered his head and dared not say anything more.

After a moment, Phillip softened his tone a little and continued: “However, if Aaron wants to attack Karl under this banner, I won’t say anything. Is this enough?”

"Your Majesty is wise." Casabelos praised hurriedly in a humble tone, and then he continued, "The reasons are sufficient, but... it is not enough to rely on words to defeat Carl. We lost all our knights in the previous battle, and now we have to fight against the entire northern border..."

"Don't beat around the bush, just tell me what you want?" Philip said impatiently.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Casabelos said respectfully, "We are short of cavalry now. I hope Your Majesty can give us some assistance."

At this moment, Philip's eyes widened. He had never seen such a shameless person:

"He wants to ask me for soldiers! He can't fight himself, but he comes to me for soldiers?"

But I saw Casabelos bowed again and said:

"We just can't do this, but the situation is not optimistic now. If we continue like this, we will definitely fail..."

Philip was silent for a moment, with a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He knew that if Aaron lost, the North would fall completely into Karl's hands, but what was the problem? After all, Karl was a nobleman appointed by himself. No, there was a problem, a huge problem. Even if Karl had no second thoughts, he was too close to the grassland tribes. He was even appointed Khan by the Great Khan. If such a person controlled the North, he would only be worried. He could never hand over the North to such a person.

"This is the last time." He finally made a decision, "I will give you soldiers, but all operations must be carried out in secret. I don't want anyone to know that I am secretly assisting you."

Casabelos bowed quickly:

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Inside the palace, the sunlight gradually dimmed. Philip looked into the distance, his heart was filled with indescribable complexity. He knew that the storm in the north was coming, and he was being dragged into it helplessly.