Chapter 400 - 211: Nolen Auswiss
Chapter 400: Chapter 211: Nolen Auswiss
「Several days earlier...」
After rescuing the young women from the dungeon, Flora and Shaya transmitted all the evidence they had collected to the Royal Capital.
This included several Magic Images from the dungeon, as well as the young women’s tearful accounts.
Combined with the proof of the connection between Lawrence and the Blood Sea Gang that had previously been submitted to the Royal Capital, there was now a complete chain of evidence proving the series of shockingly vile deeds committed by the Lawrence Clan.
Upon receiving this information from Flora, her teacher, Elvis—the Vice Dean of the Kingdom Saint Antonia Academy—immediately submitted it to the Royal Court and proposed that the Lawrence Clan be permanently stripped of their peerage and sentenced for their crimes.
As a result, the Kingdom convened a meeting.
Normally, dealing with a Viscount family like the Lawrences wouldn’t require a meeting of the entire Kingdom’s high officials.
But everyone knew that Lawrence was no ordinary Viscount. Behind them stood one of the Kingdom’s pillars—Duke Sed Morin!
Even among the Kingdom’s six living Dukes, Duke Sed’s importance was second to none.
The Morin Clan controlled over 50% of the Kingdom’s alchemy business. Alchemy was one of the most profitable enterprises on the Continent, and alchemy-related industries made up a huge portion of the Doria Kingdom’s economy. It was no exaggeration to say that the Morin Clan held the Kingdom’s economic lifeblood in their hands.
Without the Morin Clan’s annual tax contributions, the Kingdom’s very operations might be jeopardized.
The Morin Clan even shouldered some of the Royal Family’s expenses.
And since the Lawrences were a newly risen noble family that the Morin Clan had been heavily supporting in recent years, handling their case naturally required extreme caution.
The Kingdom’s council convened. Virtually every prominent noble in the Royal Capital was in attendance. King Kiao sat on the primary seat, his face etched with worry.
It was clear he didn’t know how to handle this situation...
’The Morin Clan’s power is simply too great, and they have numerous experts in their ranks. Even I, the King, dare not offend them lightly. I usually have to show them a great deal of respect.’
’But the other side is no pushover either...’
The Kingdom National Academy held a similarly pivotal and esteemed position in the Doria Kingdom. And among the various academies, the Mage Academy—Saint Antonia Academy—was undoubtedly the most influential.
This entire incident began with the murder of a student from Saint Antonia Academy within the borders of Roland Town, in Lania City’s domain.
Furthermore, the Vice Dean of the Mage Academy, Great Mage Elvis, was clearly taking this matter very seriously. He not only dispatched his favorite student to investigate personally but also refused to yield an inch after the Lawrence Clan’s evil deeds were exposed, insisting that they be punished severely.
But that wasn’t what gave him the biggest headache.
While Elvis certainly enjoyed a lofty reputation within the Kingdom, when it came to actual status, he was still a step below Duke Sed.
Moreover, Duke Sed himself possessed immense personal power and was not afraid of the renowned Extraordinary Mage.
’So, this matter shouldn’t have been so troublesome. I could have just saved some face for the Great Mage, given the Lawrence Clan a symbolic punishment after resolving the Goblin siege, and avoided completely crushing them. Duke Sed would surely have accepted that.’
The problem was, this matter also involved another entity that couldn’t be trifled with...
Auswiss!
The Doria Kingdom was just an insignificant little kingdom on the Continent, but Auswiss was the name of a Marquis from the Violet Empire, one of the Three Great Empires!
That name alone carried more weight than the entire Doria Kingdom!
Even if the City Lord of Silver Stream City had already renounced the glory, status, and position that name represented, she had, after all, once been an Auswiss. No one dared to underestimate her.
’Of all things, this affair had to involve Silver Stream City. And that fool from the Lawrence Clan even specifically targeted Silver Stream City!’
This plunged the King of the Doria Kingdom into a state of indecision.
’After all, I have no idea what the Auswiss family thinks of this young lady who left them...’
’No matter. Let’s just convene the meeting for now.’
He sighed internally, then spoke aloud. "Esteemed ministers, you are all pillars of this Kingdom. I have gathered you here today to discuss matters concerning Lania City and the Lawrence Clan..."
After the formulaic opening, a heated debate erupted.
Elvis, who was of course present, launched the first offensive. "The Lawrence Clan murdered a student of Saint Antonia Academy—that is the first of their crimes! They allowed a Goblin Race to grow strong, even deliberately kidnapping young women from their own domain and giving them to the Goblins to help them multiply—that is the second! They colluded with a Necromancer, a public enemy of all humankind, to frame Silver Stream City for the Goblin disaster—that is the third! According to the laws of the Kingdom, the Lawrence Clan must be immediately stripped of their Viscount title, and all family members involved must face the harshest judgment!"
As Elvis’s voice fell, some of his supporters chimed in with their agreement.
"Lord Elvis is right! Are we to allow such parasites to remain, to continue harming the people of this Kingdom?"