The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

The annihilation of the demon squad that had ventured deep into the North did not attract much attention, because the squad had always operated on a one-way communication model; at most, the liaison officer thought Bulken was having too much fun in the North.

As for the bird-beak masked nuns who have recently appeared among the gray-collar workers, although there are many rumors, only the town of Fasen downstream knows some specific details.

But in an era where communication mainly relies on shouting and contact is basically done on foot, everything for gray and white-collar workers seems like a mirage.

In contrast, even the slightest disturbance in the capital city can trigger a new storm.

For example, this morning, the kingdom's prime minister, Cordick, had already entered the residence of Grand Duke Lars.

At that time, many students and nobles lined the streets to see Cordick off, creating a feeling of "the wind is howling and the Yi River is cold."

Cordick didn't say what he was going to do, only that it was for peace. Many people speculated that Cordick was going to negotiate with Grand Duke Lars about some things in the North, and some were worried about how Grand Duke Lars would treat this hero prime minister in the capital.

These people's concerns were valid; the enraged Grand Duke Lars was on the verge of losing control of the magic surging around him, but Cordick, sitting on the other side of the negotiating table, was calmly sipping his tea.

"Your Excellency, have you thought it through? If you don't sign now, I don't know what might happen to your precious granddaughter."

Behind Cordick was a little girl being guarded by two guards from the Prime Minister's residence. This was Lena's youngest sister, Ruby Lars.

Lena has two younger brothers and one younger sister. After Lena's father disappeared, Grand Duke Lars originally planned to have Sean, the most outstanding of the four siblings, inherit his father's position through a succession war, while his other brother and sister were also enfeoffed to strengthen Sean's lineage.

Ruby was allocated her territory under these circumstances, but it was usually managed by people sent by her brother Sean Lars.

But now, Ruby has appeared in the capital, and in the hands of her political enemy, Cordick.

Grand Duke Lars felt like his head was about to explode. Ruby was here, but he knew nothing about her. This not only meant that there was a problem with Ruby's territory, but even Sean's territory might be in danger.

“Cordick, I thought you knew the rules among nobles.”

Although Grand Duke Lars's words were not offensive, his body posture resembled that of a giant bear already in an attack stance.

This rule is naturally the unwritten rule in the political struggles among nobles: no matter how fierce the struggle, it will not affect family members. This is why Grand Duke Lars was able to enfeoff Lubie with peace of mind.

"Is this rule written in the kingdom's laws? How come I don't know? I only know that Ruby Lars preyed on the people, aroused public anger, was driven out of the territory by a mob, and her fate is unknown."

"She's just a child, and her territory doesn't even have many inhabitants! She doesn't even collect taxes!"

Grand Duke Lars slammed his fist in a fit of rage, shattering the table beneath his hand instantly.

"Do you think the people of the capital believe in you, this incompetent Grand Duke, or in me, this heroic Prime Minister?"

"I have brought lasting peace to your North!" Cordick said proudly.

Then, Cordick glanced at the document that had been shredded along with the table on the ground, pulled out another one from his pocket, and continued, "Sign it, Your Excellency. His Majesty said that as long as you sign it, Your Excellency will be allowed to leave the capital. Then you and your granddaughter can go wherever you want."

This was clearly a combination of coercion and persuasion. Grand Duke Lars glanced at the steward, who tremblingly took the treaty. But at that moment, Cordick pulled out another document from his pocket and handed it to the steward, saying, "Your Excellency, don't worry, I have another copy. But don't worry, it's not a treaty. You just need to read it aloud in Queen's Square. Of course, only after you've finished reading it can you reunite with your beloved granddaughter."

Grand Duke Lars took the document, and sure enough, it was just as outrageous as the treaty. To put it another way, this document, which had to be read aloud, was a self-reproach edict, densely filled with things that Grand Duke Lars had done or hadn't done.

However, most of the work was done by Cordick himself, but he cleverly attributed it to the Lars family.

Seeing that Grand Duke Lars was about to get angry, Cordick gently raised his hand, and the guards behind him immediately drew their longswords and held them to Ruby's neck.

"grandfather..."

Ruby, not yet ten years old, hugged her favorite teddy bear and looked at Grand Duke Lars with teary eyes.

The next day, almost all the nobles and bards arrived at Queen's Square on time. Grand Duke Lars had lost his former prestige and looked as dejected as an old man. He stood on the high platform that had been set up and began to read the contents of the document.

In order to find out what exactly happened in the North as soon as possible, Grand Duke Lars could no longer waste time in the capital city dealing with these schemers. Grand Duke Lars had a premonition that something big must have happened to the Lars family in the North, but Cordick had somehow managed to completely block the news.

“I am a sinner. I have betrayed His Majesty’s trust in me. It is my stubbornness that has led to the North becoming what it is today.”

Grand Duke Lars, like a giant bear in its twilight years, stood on the stage, reading the script prepared by Cordick with a somber expression.

As more and more accusations against the Lars family were revealed by Grand Duke Lars, more and more people began to spread the word, and some passersby even threw rotten eggs at the old man.

More and more people gathered in the audience, some even shouting, "Hang him! Hang him!"

"Apologize to us!"

Of course, many onlookers who were unaware of the facts asked, "Who is this old man?"

"That grandfather of the disgrace to the nobility."

"Oh, that guy? He's shameless. Like father, like son. No wonder he raised that disgrace to the nobility."

This self-reproach quickly alerted the guards of the royal city, who immediately took control of the scene and swiftly apprehended the northerner who was defending Grand Duke Lars.

Immediately, a bard in the crowd began to proclaim that it was Chancellor Cordick who made Grand Duke Lars realize his mistake. Long live Chancellor Cordick!

Immediately afterwards, as if it had been planned in advance, the people present began to praise Cordick's great achievements, and countless rotten eggs were thrown at Grand Duke Lars as if they had been prepared in advance.

Grand Duke Lars, his face covered in egg yolk, could only wipe it off and continue reading the contents of the document Cordick had given him in the autumn wind.

For a time, the entire capital was filled with insults and criticisms directed at Grand Duke Lars, as well as praise and admiration for Cordick.

The bards constantly sang praises of Cordick's wisdom and courage, but in reality, Cordick had no wisdom whatsoever; he was simply more shameless in his actions.