Chapter 019: Deeply Calculating

The nobles in the grand hall all remained silent. Logically speaking, even if Du Fan had achieved great feats, as a foreign official, he had no right to reside within the imperial city. But since Prince Fischer insisted so strongly, who would dare to go against his wishes?

Seeing this, Prince Fischer casually nodded and said, “Well then, let’s settle this matter here. As for what comes next, I leave it to Father to decide.”

With that, he glanced up at Emperor Austin III, who had once again taken his seat on the throne. Earlier, in the training ground, Emperor Austin III had already ordered that Prince Fischer succeed him. Strangely, upon entering the grand hall, Prince Fischer did not sit on the throne himself but instead helped Emperor Austin III up, seemingly signaling his stance—that he would never use force unless the old emperor voluntarily stepped down.

The nobles in the hall all understood well that among Emperor Austin III’s children, although there were many women, none of them were eligible to inherit the throne. As for the men, the eldest prince was dead, and the second prince was completely useless. Thus, sooner or later, the throne would inevitably fall into Prince Fischer’s hands. His actions were merely to show that he had no intention of seizing power by force.

Though Emperor Austin III had said he would pass the throne to him, could he really be willing to do so? After all, the powers associated with that supreme position were beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Which emperor, throughout history, did not hold onto the throne until the very end of their life?

Only a few who knew the old emperor’s life was nearing its end showed signs of deep thought…

The old emperor would not live until dawn, but he was still the emperor at this moment… The imperial power of the Gavin Empire had been weakened over the years, and this coup presented a perfect opportunity to regain control…

However, there were too many variables in this coup. After the death of the eldest prince, his supporters had also fought for the Gavin Empire, which could be considered making amends for their past mistakes. If their faults were pursued now, it might lead to accusations of cruelty…

But if those people weren’t dealt with, wouldn’t it mean… instability in the imperial power?

With Prince Fischer’s shrewdness, he would naturally never do such a despicable thing. So, having an old emperor who won’t live until dawn do it… truly the best choice!
Yet in such moments, even if one understands this, who dares to point it out?
Duke Green and Chancellor Kimberly exchanged a glance before both bowed their heads… We don’t know, we really don’t know anything…
Austin III sat high on his throne. Behind him, two court maids continued to gently wave large fans. The old emperor’s face was somewhat pale, but it was impossible to tell what expression he had—at least his eyes were calm, extremely calm…
A few senior ministers who had known the old emperor for years could tell that he was likely pondering some important matter.
After a brief silence, a faint smile appeared on Austin III’s face. He smiled slightly at Bishop Aaron, who stood at a distance without showing proper deference as a subject, and said, “Your Eminence, we truly owe much to the people of your Holy Church for their efforts this time… But what follows is a matter solely within the royal family… So, could you please step back first? Also, when you meet Archbishop Anthony, please convey my sincerest blessings.”
The implicit message was clear: You clergymen have been used enough by us; you’re of no use anymore… What comes next is our royal affair—stop meddling and just get lost!
Bishop Aaron’s expression changed. After all, given his status, he didn’t need to show deference to Austin III. But he had received strict orders before coming—no matter the outcome, he must not clash with the royal family. So, after a moment, he calmed down, raised his hand to form the holy cross sign over his chest, and said calmly, “Then, I shall retire first… May the glory of the Light God shine upon the Austin line forever…”
Hearing this, Austin III’s eyes remained calm. He nodded slightly and simply said, “Thank you, Your Eminence, for your blessings. But before you leave, please take the people of the Holy Church with you… After all, the Mage Guild is right across from the cathedral. It wouldn’t be good if it’s too empty! As for those who have returned to the Father’s embrace, I’ll send someone to take their bodies back…”

The phrase “too empty” made Bishop Aaron’s expression even darker, as the old emperor’s words implied that the Holy Church’s substantial forces were stationed in the imperial city, which naturally caused great concern among the royal family!
With the old emperor speaking so bluntly, how could Bishop Aaron stay?
He abruptlyshook offed off his wide robes, nodded briefly to the others as a greeting, and then withdrew.
Seeing Bishop Aaron’s pale, furious face as he left, most of the nobles exchanged glances… After all, the Holy Church had contributed greatly to the Gavin Empire this time—such an attitude from the old emperor surely wasn’t right.
But since Austin III had already spoken, who would dare say anything?
After Bishop Aaron left with the Holy Church’s people, Austin III’s expression remained calm, as if he hadn’t just driven away a bishop of the Holy Church but some ordinary person…
After a while, he glanced at Abraham, who stood behind Prince Fischer, and said indifferently, “Bring the two mages here.”
Abraham looked somewhat puzzled, but he quickly brought the two grand mages he had defeated and threw them in front of the throne.
Austin III glanced at them a few times before frowning and saying, “Release these masters. I have something to say to them.”
Abraham nodded and tapped Brisbane and Barbari lightly, causing the golden chains binding them to disappear bit by bit. The two disheveled grand mages were then set free.
After appearing, Brisbane and Barbari didn’t rush to resist. After being trapped, they had tried every means to fight back, but by now, they had little magic left.
Their eyes scanned the hall and, upon seeing Prince Fischer smiling on one side and Austin III on the throne, their expressions changed drastically. They immediately realized that the crown prince was likely dead in battle.
Seeing the expressions of these two grand mages, Austin III wore a faintly mocking smile before saying, “My lords, grand mages… If there’s nothing else… you may go now…”
The two were stunned. After a moment, Brisbane stood up, bowed to Austin III, and said, “Your Majesty… regarding this incident…”

Austen III smiled slightly and said, “Since this matter has already been settled, there’s nothing more to say… But when you two return and see President Edward, remember to tell him to mind his own business regarding our royal affairs in the future… Let’s just pretend nothing happened this time!”
The two great magicians exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other’s eyes… After all, they had played a significant role in the prince’s coup, yet the old emperor showed no intention of pursuing them further…
Thinking of this, they stopped pondering further—why exactly this was so must be something for Edward to consider… As for now… their top priority was to leave.
Immediately, the two great magicians bowed together and quickly withdrew.
After their figures disappeared, the nobles in the hall looked at the old emperor with utter astonishment…
Earlier, it was already strange enough that the old emperor had driven away the people from the Holy Church… Now, he even let go of those who had been the biggest supporters of the coup—members of the Mage Guild… This was extremely bizarre!
Only a few astute nobles began to suspect that the old emperor had driven away the Holy Church members to prevent them from taking advantage of the situation… While letting go of the Mage Guild members showed an attitude of not pursuing them…
In other words, the old emperor didn’t want either the Holy Church or the Mage Guild to gain any advantage from this coup… For the empire of Gavin, it was best if these two powerful forces remained in a state of balance… After all, balance is the foundation of a ruler’s strategy…
The old emperor truly was extremely cunning…