Chapter 293: Secrets Among Semi-Godly Warriors
Not long after Ferdinand arrived, the second prince of Celt personally came by alchemical airship. Upon seeing Donald, Duri immediately said, “Dear Donald, I’m here this time to ask for your help! You surely won’t refuse, right?” “Of course not!” Donald warmly welcomed Duri in. After they sat down, the second prince took the initiative to speak. “Previously, I had the upper hand in terms of military strength, as Ferdinand and the military were on my side. My elder brother only had the rather half-hearted support of the Mage Association, with the rest being professionals gathered under his forces. Now that our king has announced a demon-expulsion plan to support Celt, the army is far less effective against demons than powerful professionals. I could only borrow a squad of Bronze Swordsmen and a few master swordsmen from Ferdinand’s Holy Sword Legion.” As he spoke, he kept looking at Donald eagerly. Donald didn’t comment but asked, “What kind of strong fighters does your elder brother have?” “Besides his own retainers, he’s already bribed a Gold-level strong fighter from the Mage Association and many mages. There are dozens of strong fighters above Silver level, whose combat strength is several times mine. That’s why I have to turn to you, Donald, for help!” Donald nodded. “I can provide a group of experts, but with one condition!” Duri was overjoyed at this and said, “What’s the condition? As long as I can fulfill it, there won’t be any problem!” “My condition is that on this mission to Celt, I want all battles to be commanded by me and my subordinates. Everyone else must cooperate—without unity, no team can win. The ancient mages have a saying: It’s not the wolf-like enemies to fear, but the pig-like teammates. I don’t want someone to cause trouble at a critical moment and put everyone else in danger!” After hearing this, Duri thought for a moment and said, “I can agree. It’s also in my interest to achieve victory. If the others I bring refuse to follow orders or have their own ideas, you can deal with them however you like. I won’t complain at all!” “Good. With your word as the second prince, I guarantee that the throne of Celt XVI will be yours, Duri!” Delighted by Donald’s promise, Duri still showed a hint of concern. “What? Are you afraid my men will fail? Andrew surely doesn’t have any legendary strong fighters under him, right?”
“Of course not. It’s just that I received some secret advice from our royal priest. My elder brother seems to have some connections with the Land of Dawn. Who knows, he might have some unexpected tricks up his sleeve or even resort to improper methods!”
Donald immediately frowned. “The Church of the Three Glorious Gods? Can you be sure of this information?”
Duri said worriedly, “By rule, when the two heirs compete for the throne, the royal priest, who is above such matters, should not favor either side. But that priest disapproves of my brother’s secret misdeeds yet can’t prove anything against him, so he gave me a few hints. Moreover, this time we’re going to the Duchy of Theron, outside Celtar’s territory. If anything goes wrong, I can blame it on demons. Once in their hands, not even my soul can escape. There will be no proof, and even our king won’t be able to punish my brother. After all, by then, he’ll be the only direct descendant of the Celtar family. That’s why the priest is concerned about my safety and advised me to seek your help, Donald!”
Donald wasn’t surprised. As part of the Celtar royal family, they couldn’t possibly go unnoticed if a powerful force emerged within their own country. Besides, he had always exchanged information with the royal family through that silver fox elder. So, the royal family was well aware of some matters within Dalaran. Of course, all this information was in the hands of the old king. Although the two princes were the next generation of heirs, they wouldn’t be given access to it until their status was confirmed. All they knew was slightly more than what other noble factions knew about Dalaran.
“In that case, we’ll need to change our plan a bit!”
Donald thought for a moment before speaking.
Seeing Ferdinand and Duri looking at him, Donald explained, “I plan to lead the team in person. I’ll also bring the second legendary warrior from Dalaran, just in case Andrew really brings in people from the Church of the Three Glorious Gods. That way, we’ll have a force to counter them and show them that they’ve gone too far. The North is not a place their Church can interfere in.”
Ferdinand was immediately shocked and hurriedly said, “Donald, you’re not planning to confront those executioners of the Church of the Three Glorious Gods from the Hand of Justice, are you?”
The Hand of Justice is not only an institution similar to the Inquisition but also the military force of the Church of the Three Radiant Gods. In times of magical disasters on the continent, even if they are not supporters of Prince Andrew the Great, they will surely send people to intervene. The Hand of Justice has a poor reputation on the continent and is known for its aggressive behavior when traveling abroad. He was very worried that Donald might lose control of his temper and get into a dispute with them.
Seeing his concern, Donald smiled and reassured him, “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything foolish!”
“But I’m not the kind of person who lets others oppress me—someone who turns their other cheek after being slapped. If the Hand of Justice really goes too far, I’m not afraid of them. I’ll definitely teach them a lesson. You may not know, but my status has changed now. I’m also an elder of the Elven Council. I can speak with the elves, even the elven gods and the Goddess of Agriculture. As long as I stand firm on my principles, even if the Church of the Three Radiant Gods suffers a loss, they can only swallow it and won’t dare retaliate openly!”
“Really?”
Prince Duri’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. Of all those present, he, as the second heir to the Kingdom of Selt, understood best the complex relationships between the Church of the Gods and the various powers on the continent.
“Of course it’s true. That’s why I’m not afraid of the Church of the Three Radiant Gods causing trouble. As long as I don’t side with the Abyss or other evil forces, at least the elves will definitely be on my side. As for secret retaliation, legendary warriors are always at my disposal. Just having a legendary dragon at my back is enough to make even those below the level of demigods wary. From what I know, even a powerful force like the Church of the Three Radiant Gods would suffer great losses if it sent a demigod to fight me. They probably won’t go to such extremes just because of a minor lord from a northern kingdom.”
Duri patted his chest and said with a smile, “Don’t worry about that. The destructive power of demigods is too great for the main world, so they won’t act lightly. Even if they send demigods, as long as you stay within the northern lands and don’t go outside, they won’t be able to set foot in the north. Although our kingdom of Selt has the fewest legendary warriors among the continent’s nations, we still have powerful guardians whose strength is on par with that of demigods. As for other demigods, it’s another matter, but the demigods of the Church of the Gods cannot approach us. Otherwise, it would be seen as an attempt to seize control of the north and make them our mortal enemies. Even if they send more demigods to destroy our kingdom, the few nations on the continent that oppose the Church of the Gods have already coordinated secretly, and their own demigod warriors won’t stand by idly!”
“So, the countries on the continent and various churches have long agreed that unless there’s a false god causing chaos or a major magical disaster, neither the semi-gods behind different factions nor the few solitary semi-gods should act recklessly. Those who violate this rule will face joint punishment from all factions! That’s why the powerful beings in the legendary realms are the strongest combat forces for the various factions in the main world. Semi-gods at most serve as a deterrent. Donald, with two such legendary powers in your territory, you can basically rule with impunity in the main world!”
As Duori spoke of these secret details, he glanced at Donald with envy. He never expected that someone who was initially just a promising mage-noble would, in just two or three years, develop into the third most powerful force in this vast northern kingdom, after the royal family and Ansel. It really filled him with awe. This young lord seemed to lead a life even more carefree than he, a prince!