Chapter 006: The Qualifications of a Monarch
The eldest prince seemed stunned for a moment before bursting into loud laughter, leaning forward and backward uncontrollably…
And so, it was unclear how long they laughed until finally, the eldest prince’s laughter ceased. He stared coldly at his father and said, “I don’t want to kill you? I dare not kill you? Father… please don’t overestimate yourself! Or perhaps you don’t want to admit this before dying? We both know well that by dawn, you’ll be dead on the spot… What I really need to do now is simply to seal off all news before you die, and then, at the moment of your death, I can rightfully ascend the throne. By the time my dear brother, Fisher—your favorite youngest son—realizes what’s happened, everything will already be settled! That’s enough!”
“But, Father! I didn’t do that. Instead, I’m here. Do you want to know why? It’s simple… I don’t want you to die on the throne; I don’t want your blood to defile it… Father, I want you to die with dignity!”
“So!” The eldest prince suddenly knelt down, though his sword still pointed at Austin III. “Father, you’ve taught me since I was young to know when to hold on and when to let go… In this situation, you have utterly failed! Then you should lose as a hero, without losing your royal grace! So, Father, I ask you—abdicate!”
Austin III finally smiled. He looked at his son with an extremely complex expression. After a moment, he stopped looking at him and turned his gaze to the person behind the eldest prince: “Dox, I remember when I appointed you as the commander of the imperial guards, didn’t you swear an oath to the God of Light? You said you would serve me wholeheartedly for life. So why now has your loyalty shifted to someone else?”
A military general who had always stood behind the Crown Prince slowly stepped forward. He removed his helmet, revealing a rather handsome face. With a faint smile, he said, “Your Majesty… My oath has never been wrong… I swore that I would serve the true king for the rest of my life! But I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Though you are the nominal ruler, I see no hope in you… You are overly ambitious and arrogant. Even after the empire’s defeat and the truth coming to light over the years, you still refuse to admit it… Your pride prevents you from accepting this fact… It wouldn’t matter much otherwise, after all, you are still the king! But you must also understand that under these circumstances, the Gavin Empire is on the brink of survival! I, Dax, am a man of Gavin. In this country, I don’t want its fate to end in your hands… I also have my own code of chivalry! So, I have chosen to whom I should pledge loyalty! That is His Highness the Crown Prince! Because only the Crown Prince’s bravery allows me to see hope for this country. Please forgive my betrayal, Your Majesty!”
With that, General Dax gave a slight knightly bow, then put on his helmet and slowly drew the long sword at his waist, pointing it diagonally at the throne. He said calmly, “Then, Your Majesty… I, Dax, on behalf of the 300,000 Imperial Guards, ask you to abdicate!”
Austin III wasn’t angry. Instead, his eyes showed a hint of admiration. He glanced at the Crown Prince again and said calmly, “I’ve only entrusted the Imperial Guards to you for a few years, and you’ve already managed to earn Dax’s absolute loyalty? Not bad! Not bad! But my son, that’s not enough… It’s not sufficient if only one person pledges loyalty to you!”
The Crown Prince snorted, gave a gesture behind him, and soon nearly half of the nobles stepped forward from the crowd. They bowed to the Crown Prince and said, “We are willing to pledge loyalty to His Highness the Crown Prince! We urge Emperor Austin III to abdicate!”
After they finished speaking, the Crown Prince glanced at Austin III again and said, “Is this enough, Father?”
Austin III shook his head slightly and said, “What can these worthless people achieve? The two of us know very well, don’t we, my son?”
The Crown Prince snorted again and suddenly said coldly, “It seems this really isn’t enough… Well then, Duke, isn’t it time for you to show your sincere loyalty now?”
As he spoke, the Crown Prince slowly looked up and stepped back. Then, a soft sigh was heard as Duke Belinger slowly walked out from among the crowd, bowed slightly to the Crown Prince, and said, “Your servant, Belinger… is willing to pledge loyalty to Your Highness… Then, Your Majesty, I have no choice but to urge you to abdicate!” At these words, everyone in the hall was shocked! After all, the Belinger family had controlled the empire’s finances for many years, holding an unparalleled position within it. His pledge of loyalty to the Crown Prince meant that one of the empire’s major interest groups had turned against him.
Austin III finally showed a hint of approval. He nodded and said, “Very good, excellent… My son, since you’ve managed to make Duke Belinger pledge loyalty to you… perhaps I really should abdicate!” With that, Austin III slowly sat back down on his throne. He no longer looked at his son but instead glanced at Prime Minister Kimberly and said, “My old friend! What do you think? Would it be alright if my son took my place?”
Prime Minister Kimberly gave a bitter smile, glanced at the Crown Prince, but said nothing. Duke Green, standing opposite Kimberly, merely sneered, a cold smirk flashing in his eyes. Du Fan, standing in the lower left corner, sighed repeatedly in his heart! The Crown Prince was indeed remarkable—entering the hall and pressing his advantage forward step by step, now forcing Austin III and all the powerful officials in the court into a corner. Though he hadn’t killed a single person, he had already seized all the advantages. What clever tactics!
No wonder he had managed to maintain a balance of power with someone like Prince Fisher over the years. Clearly, he was no ordinary person!
The Crown Prince glanced at the silent Prime Minister Kimberly and suddenly bowed slightly, saying, “Prime Minister… I suppose, under these circumstances, your silence means acceptance?” Without waiting for Kimberly to object, he declared loudly, “Father, since the Prime Minister has spoken like this, what’s the point of you still sitting there?”
“Elder brother… your impulsive nature hasn’t changed at all over the years!” Suddenly, a calm voice came from a corner of the hall. Then everyone saw that the imperial guards, who had been packed together, suddenly parted to create a gap. In that passage, several people in strange clothing lined up in two rows, clearing a path wide enough for several people to walk through!
Those brave Imperial City Guards encountered these people. Though they wanted to attack, they seemed to be holding back for some reason, and in no time, a path was cleared! Du Fan took a quick glance and recognized that these people were from the inner court! Then he saw Prince Fischer slowly walking over. He was still dressed in an extremely luxurious outfit, with every detail clearly carefully crafted. With his hands behind his back, he strolled leisurely and slowly toward the throne, still wearing a smile on his face. He first glanced at the eldest prince and said calmly, “Elder brother… Do you really want to take that seat without even asking me, your younger brother, first? Or since when has our brotherly bond become so weak?” Without giving the eldest prince a chance to reply, he raised his hand and bowed slightly to Austin III on the throne, saying calmly, “Father, I arrived late to save you. Please forgive me!” Seeing his actions, the eldest prince didn’t get angry but laughed instead and shouted, “Good! Even if you hadn’t come, I would have gone to find you! Fischer! Since you’re here, at least leave your life for me!” With that, the eldest prince waved his hand sharply, and several Imperial City Guards rushed at him! Drawing a sword from his own side would have been the best choice, but it wasn’t honorable for a prince to kill people in the grand hall! Seeing the guards charge, Prince Fischer simply smiled, as if he hadn’t seen anything. Just then, a loud shout suddenly rang out, “You wretched dogs! How dare you!” As soon as the words faded, the guards’ bodies trembled simultaneously, and moments later, blood flowed from their mouths and noses as they collapsed to the ground! Du Fan, who was watching, narrowed his eyes. That shout was clearly magic! It seemed the court mage had intervened! Only after seeing the guards dead did Prince Fischer smile slightly and look at the eldest prince, saying, “Elder brother, see? Your impatience has shown again! Even if you really want my life, as brothers, you should at least let me finish speaking before acting, right? If you don’t even have this amount of royal grace… then what right do you have to be emperor?”