Lord: I Grind EXP with Warband Panel

Chapter 544: Chapter 14: Dark Clouds Over the Empire

After dealing with the wolfmen, Robson wasted no time in having the Gnolls drive all the captured livestock to the logistics camp.

This was Lord Robson’s first chance to make a real impression in front of everyone, and the job had to be done perfectly!

Besides, although the Marquis was there to keep things under control, many of the human generals were, in fact, filled with uncertainty.

Only a steady stream of livestock could soothe the human generals’ anxieties.

.....

「Madar Mountain」

This was the first major settlement the Purple-blooded Beastmen established after they charged out of the Inner World.

As for the Frankish Great Plains? The story behind that is complicated. During the era of the First Empire, it was actually the territory of the Dwarves. Back then, not all Dwarven factions resided in the Inner World, and the Demon Beast Mountain Range was not as imposing as it is today.

Later, after the Purple-blooded Beastmen grew powerful, they seized the Frankish Great Plains through a fortunate turn of events. They then gradually encroached upon the Beastman Grassland. Eventually, however, the Frankish Great Plains was taken from them by the Knight King.

Madar Mountain stands on the shores of Belendor Lake. Together, they are known as the Divine Mountain and the Heavenly Lake of the Beastman Empire.

Contrary to what most people in the Human World imagine,

Madar Mountain was not covered in tents from foot to peak, with cattle and sheep defecating everywhere.

Quite the opposite, Madar Mountain is a beautiful place.

The mountainside is dotted with wild, Beastman-style manors, and colorful flowers cover the entire peak. Below lies the clear Heavenly Lake, surrounded by sprawling forests.

The forests, too, were unique. They were filled with structures modeled after traditional elven architecture, but the inhabitants were all Beastmen.

Halfway up Madar Mountain stood a sprawling estate.

Several Red-robed Priests bustled in and out, while numerous Beastman soldiers stood guard outside the estate.

However, anyone who looked closely would find that these Beastman soldiers seemed dazed, as if they had lost their souls.

This was the residence of the Skull Council.

Ironically, the Empire that had once been the most ravaged by the tide of skeletons was now the first nation to legalize Necromancers.

After several recent sessions of the Imperial Council, the Skull Council had successfully revealed itself to the Beastman populace.

With the recent death of Emperor Kemal, a wave of sorrow washed over all of Madar Mountain.

The Princes were following in the Emperor’s footsteps. The Fourth Prince died during the retreat, caught by the humans on the Western Front.

The Second Prince was defeated on the eastern front and lost all his support. The Third Prince’s whereabouts were unknown. The Eldest Prince had not been seen since returning to his residence, and it was rumored that he was already dead.

The Emperor was dead. It should have been a time of rampant infighting, yet Madar Mountain, the center of power, had fallen into an eerie silence.

The only member of the royal bloodline to step forward was, surprisingly, a nephew of Beast Emperor Kemal whom no one had ever paid any attention to: Prince Brooks.

Prince Brooks was just emerging from the estate when he ran right into Philian and Eddie, who had come to report to him.

"Your Highness."

Even though they knew the man before them was merely their puppet, Philian and Eddie still adopted a respectful posture.

A look of satisfaction crossed Brooks’s face as he looked at them; he clearly savored their deference.

’Who would dare call me a good-for-nothing playboy now?’ he thought. ’I, Brooks, will be a monarch who far surpasses Kemal!’

"Are you back with news?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Excellent. Keep up the good work, and you will be well rewarded in the future," Brooks said with a smile, trying to appear like an enlightened ruler.

The three of them made small talk for a moment before Philian made an excuse to get away from Brooks. Watching Philian’s retreating back, Brooks’s expression turned grim.

’Another pack of two-faced sycophants,’ he thought.

Meanwhile, Philian and Eddie entered the estate.

"Philian."

"Looks like we’re not late," Philian said with a smile.

The one speaking to Philian was a Black Robed Mage.

The Black Robed Mage wore a mask, obscuring his features.

However, the two spiral horns protruding from his head seemed to mark him as someone extraordinary.

"Almost."

"We’re preparing to act tonight."

The one who replied was not the Black Robed Mage, but a Giant Mage standing beside him.

The Mage’s name was Bruce, the Black Robed Mage’s second-in-command. The Black Robed Mage himself rarely spoke.

"And you? How are things outside?" Bruce asked with a smile.

"I don’t know about the others, but the Half-Dragon People will certainly be too preoccupied to bother with us."

"And besides the Half-Dragon People, no one else will interfere."

Just then, the normally silent Black Robed Mage spoke up.

"The Array is complete. For an entire year, the southern war has been accumulating power for my god."

"You are fortunate. Tonight, you will witness a true miracle."

.....

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

Brooks was riding in a carriage, rushing back to his residence.

But his path was blocked by another carriage.

An old voice was calling out incessantly.

"Who is it?" Brooks asked the driver.

"It’s the former Minister of Finance, Your Highness."

"Here to lecture me again?" Brooks asked.

As if to confirm Brooks’s words, another shout came from up ahead.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

"Your Highness, this old minister has something to say! Do you remember me?"

The Minister of Finance was clearly in his eighties, yet his voice held a fawning tone.

"Ram them."

"What? But, Your Highness..."

"I told you to ram them!"

Brooks’s eyes went bloodshot. ’A mere driver dares to disobey my command? Doesn’t he know that I’m about to become the Emperor?’

’These guys were beaten so badly by the humans, what right do they have to lecture me?’

The driver had no choice but to ram the carriage forward.

The Minister of Finance’s cry of pain came from outside.

But soon after, another shout was heard.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! The Skull Council is an evil cult!"

"Your Highness, the ruin of our nation is imminent...!"

’The ruin of our nation? Is my ascension to the throne what will ruin the nation?’

Brooks was furious and told the driver to hurry.

Arriving in front of his residence, he found a group of old ministers had gathered.

"What is the meaning of this? Will this ever end?" Brooks was furious.

"Where are the Guards? Have them clear a path!"

The Red Robe Council had assigned dozens of guards to Brooks.

Hearing Brooks’s order, the guards acted like emotionless machines, moving forward on pure instinct to drive away the old ministers blocking the way.

A new sovereign brings new courtiers.

Kemal was dead, and currently, no one could mobilize the Madar Palace’s Defense Army.

There had been, but Kemal had sent them all away—they were the very same ones Lord Robson had killed.

Kemal’s original intention was to prevent his successor from being constrained by the old guard, as he himself had been frequently hamstrung by his father’s ministers.

With the Empire facing a human invasion, Kemal hadn’t had time to arrange for a successor, so he could only do his best to reduce the future emperor’s political difficulties.

Unexpectedly, by a strange twist of fate, the situation had become what it was now.

Of course, the main factor was that the Skull Council had, from gods know where, produced several thousand elite soldiers, crushed the private armies of the various great families, and seized control of Madar Mountain.

Some of the old ministers refused to move aside, and Brooks’s guards showed no mercy. If Brooks said "kill," they cut the men down without a moment’s hesitation.

There were powerful individuals among the ministers, but they were ultimately too old to be a match for Brooks’s guards.

Listening to the pained screams from outside, Brooks felt a pang of fear.

’Alas, was all this necessary? Was it so difficult to support him?’ he wondered.

"Your Highness, should I have this cleaned up?" the driver asked.

"No need," Brooks said. "Time is short, and I have important matters to attend to."

However, he soon came to regret that decision.

Brooks had never seen a battlefield. The moment he stepped out of the carriage and saw the corpses strewn everywhere, he nearly threw up.

’How can I be so weak?’

At that moment, Brooks felt a deep sense of shame.

He glanced at the guards. After killing or driving off the ministers, they were now standing blankly in place, completely motionless.

Just looking at them sent a chill down Brooks’s spine.

Of course he knew the Skull Council was up to no good.

But he had no choice. Besides the Skull Council, no one else was willing to help him.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, Brooks made his way to his bedroom.

Once he was alone, Brooks could finally no longer hold it in.

"GACK! RETCH..."

He threw up all the rich food and wine from the night before. Pale-faced, Brooks looked up into the bedroom.

In the bedroom, on a large bed, lay an elderly Purple-blooded Beastman woman.

Looking at the woman, Brooks’s expression softened slightly.

Holding the woman’s hand, after such a frantic day, Brooks finally felt a sliver of peace and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mother, the Minister of Finance came to stop me today."

"And many of my uncles..."

"They can’t stand the thought of me becoming Emperor. They say it’s wrong for me to associate with the Skull Council..."

After a moment of silence, Brooks let out a cold laugh.

"How ridiculous. When Kemal seized the throne, they didn’t say a damn thing. And all I’ve done is associate with a so-called ’evil cult’..." Brooks muttered.

The woman still did not speak.

In fact, she hadn’t spoken for a very long time, but being here with her brought Brooks a sense of peace.

After some time, a black raven appeared at the head of the bed. It stared at him blankly.

Brooks stared at the raven, dazed for a moment. Then he stood, kissed the woman’s face, and let out a long breath.

"Mother, tell me... am I walking into eternal damnation, or has great fortune been bestowed upon me?"

"Tomorrow, there will be an answer."

"Regardless, Mother. A hundred years from now! People will still remember my name!"