The First Vampire

Chapter 663: 661 Union_1
 

Governor Fred’s face was grim as he left Prince Lexie’s tent.

He had expected that this Holy Knight of royal descent, returning in glory, could serve as the Empire’s anchor. Nevertheless, it now seemed that he could, instead, become the source of calamity.

It wasn’t that Fred didn’t want to kill Colin Angler, but he realized that even if he managed to kill him now, what was he to do about the robust and imposing Northern Army?

If handled poorly, it could trigger a widespread civil unrest across the Empire.

Moreover, how easy could it be to murder Colin Angler while he was under the protection of Duke St. Gregorian?

On the other hand, assassinating Prince Harrison would be much simpler and wouldn’t cause great upheaval.

However, seeing Prince Lexie’s resolute stance, Governor Fred felt a headache coming on.

Could Prince Harrison truly be Prince Lexie’s illegitimate son?

He figured out quite early that the relationship between Emperor Reinhardt and Queen Midela was not harmonious, and the Emperor’s practice of openly fostering mistresses to bear him a brood of illegitimate children, was likely a plan to leave behind real descendants.

But now both the Emperor and the Queen were dead, so this conjecture was unverifiable.

Lost in his thoughts, Governor Fred was suddenly alerted by the sound of hurried horse hooves.

Initially, he paid it no mind, but after a few steps, he noticed that the sound of hooves was getting clearer. Looking up, he saw that the rider was heading straight towards him.

Upon recognizing the rider’s face, a surprised Governor Fred greeted him:

“Cardinal Mensai?”

“Governor Fred.” Cardinal Mensai dismounted, taking a moment to catch his breath, and then invited with a smile, “I was on my way to visit Prince Lexie. Would you like to join me?”

Fred’s brow furrowed instinctively.

He had just had a dispute with Prince Lexie and naturally didn’t want to return only to have his ego bruised again.

But looking at the pretended calmness of the Cardinal in front of him, whose eyes betrayed a sense of panic, Fred suddenly realized something.

“Cardinal Mensai, why have you personally come to the Frontline? What business do you have with Prince Lexie?”

Cardinal Mensai merely smiled subtly, not answering the question, but instead invited:

“Governor Fred, let’s find Prince Lexie first. I will explain in detail later.”

“Alright.” Fred nodded, and led Cardinal Mensai towards Prince Lexie’s tent.

At the same time, a thought flashed through his mind—something must have happened in Dragon City!

At that moment, Fred didn’t care about the unpleasant exchange he had just had with Prince Lexie.

As they entered the tent, Prince Lexie looked surprised to see Governor Fred return, accompanied by the sudden visit of Cardinal Mensai.

Nevertheless, he invited them to sit and had his attendant serve tea.

Once the attendant left, Prince Lexie then asked:

“Cardinal Mensai, what brings you here?”

Cardinal Mensai drained the cup of tea in front of him and then said gravely:

“Marquis Garcia is dead.”

The tent instantly fell silent.

However, Fred and Prince Lexie didn’t speak; they waited for Cardinal Mensai to continue.

After all, the death of an Imperial Marquis wasn’t reason enough for a Cardinal to travel all the way to the Frontline.

As expected, Cardinal Mensai continued:

“…he died in the Holy Light Cathedral.”

Fred’s face changed, he immediately asked:

“How did he die?”

“He committed suicide!” Cardinal Mensai answered firmly.

“Suicidal?” Fred’s eyes narrowed as he asked, “Then why did he choose to kill himself, and why did he choose the Holy Light Cathedral?”

“He probably felt ashamed for fleeing the battlefield at the Sky Breaking Mountain Range, so he chose to confess his sins in front of the Supreme Lord and absolve them through death.”

Fred’s eyebrows knitted together. He was quite skeptical about this reason, and challenged:

“The victory at the Luwal Valley has proved the correctness of Marquis Garcia’s strategy. Any previous misunderstandings about him have been clarified, and the citizens of the Empire might even regard him as a hero. Why would he commit suicide at this time?”

“Because he cannot face the sight of the Imperial Warriors and citizens who died tragically in the Westland,” Prince Lexie suddenly spoke, his face adorned with an expression of admiration and respect, “That’s the sense of responsibility a true Knight should bear! If he was just to survive, I would disdain him.”

Fred shrugged, seemingly unimpressed by this so-called “Knight’s responsibility.” Having recently experienced Prince Lexie’s stubbornness, he chose not to dwell further on this controversy and asked instead:

“Cardinal Mensai, since Marquis Garcia committed suicide, what are you worried about?”

Cardinal Mensai sighed, then said:

“But he died in the confessional, and the Pope…the Pope was the only one present…”

Hearing this, Fred came to a sudden realization.

Marquis Garcia and Pope Gregory had been at odds even before the Orc War. Even though their differences had been seemingly settled, Marquis Garcia now died in the confessional, with only the Pope present…

Under such circumstances, any attempt to avoid misunderstanding would be difficult.

If the Luwal battle had ended in defeat, everyone would still believe that Marquis Garcia might have really taken his own life to atone for his sins.

But now, after the resounding victory at the Luwal Valley, not only has Marquis Garcia cleared himself of treason allegations, but he has also been recognized as a hero of this war.

Under these circumstances, no one would believe that he could commit suicide—

Of course, excluding the likes of Prince Lexie, whose thinking tends to exist outside of traditional structures.

No wonder Cardinal Mensai rushed to the Frontline. He was probably worried about the instability that the death of Marquis Garcia could cause.

An idea suddenly popped into Fred’s mind. He quickly realized that this event could also serve as a turning point for the Royal Family.

He coughed lightly, suppressing the joy in his heart, and asked solemnly:

“This news has not been made public, has it?”

Cardinal Mensai shook his head and said:

“Not yet. His Holiness has suppressed the news…but I estimate it won’t be long.”

A slight smile curled up at the corners of Fred’s mouth. He knew that the Pope was on the defensive.

However, with such a cover-up, even if Marquis Garcia really committed suicide, the Pope’s behavior would only attest to his guilt.

If the Northern Territory found out about this, the scene of the Northern Army advancing on the Holy Mountain half a year ago could happen again.

Fred resisted the urge to chuckle, and asked again: “So, how does His Holiness Pope Gregory plan to explain this to the Northern Territory, to the Empire?”

Cardinal Mensai stared hard at Fred and Prince Lexie for a moment, and then coldly said:

“His Holiness plans to strike first!”

“Strike first in what way?”

“Of course by disarming the Northern Territory first! To prevent a replay of the event from half a year ago!”