Benjamin told Miles the news before quickly leaving Icor through the passage.
He had already heard what he needed to hear; with this shocking news in mind, he quickly returned to Gealorre to get the King ready. He did not worry much about Miles as he should be more than capable left on his own.
On the way back, he noticed Icor’s troops retreating secretly.
This meant that this whole territory seizing fiasco was nothing more than an act – in reality, their troops were steadily retreating to try to mitigate their losses. This sight further proved the fate of the Queen.
"Teacher Benjamin, the mages with the magical equipment from the Desert City have reached Amber safely; we can put them to use at any time."
On the way back, Benjamin received news from Amber.
Luckily, they were well prepared. The troops at Amber did not leave their positions, and with their distance, they could directly attack the territory and claim back what was once Carretas’.
However, he had to watch the developments before planning his next move.
Even if the death of the Queen was orchestrated by the Church, the other ruling powers in her country were still present. Despite all this, the fact that the King was her blood brother meant that he technically had to right to take over all of Icor.
If they acted
fast and got the right people, like the Guild Master from Icor, involved, they could possibly claim even more territory without bloodshed.
But of course, this was if they survived the confrontation with the Church.
Benjamin could not help but exhale. Things were progressing so fast that they barely had time to catch up.
After travelling for a few hours, he reached Gealorre. The streets were brightly lit and the town was bursting with life; the busy city reflected the change going on in the country.
He walked into the palace.
"Mage Benjamin? Back so soon? What about Miles?" The King was in the middle of eating at the dining hall and looked up surprisedly.
"I hurried back because of the urgency of the news." Benjamin took a deep breath and said, "The Queen is dead and Icor is still trying to hide the news, but... they should not be able to hide it for much longer."
The King was stunned, his jaw hung open as bits of food fell out of his mouth.
"...Your Majesty, please mind your image."
The King came back to his sense and coughed a few times before looking around at the guards and servants. Luckily, all of them were just as shocked as he was and did not notice him.
"You are sure of this?" He signalled for the servant to close
close the door and asked.
Benjamin nodded and said, "Icor’s troops are already retreating secretly. When I entered, there was not even a single mage in sight, it is possible that they have all died alongside the Queen."
The King put down his cutlery and rubbed his forehead.
Benjamin saw this and knew that the King needed time to digest this news. But unfortunately, there was not much time left.
"Your Majesty, we have to act soon." He reminded him.
The King took a deep breath and nodded his head.
"Tell the soldiers at Amber to depart and take back what is ours." He spoke slowly, "Also, gather all the officers in the city - we have to discuss what to do next."
Some guards saluted and quickly left to give out the King’s order. The King stared blankly at the dining table full of food but seemed to have lost appetite, he waved his hand to signal for the servants to take it all away.
Then he stood up from his chair, his face showing that he was deep in thought.
"Your Majesty, I am sorry." Benjamin saw this and said quietly.
"No, I am not sad." The King shook his head and said, "So many years have passed that us sibling has grown to be like strangers; there is no point in grieving. It’s just that in the
in the blink of an eye, I am the only child of my father, the original king, left."
Benjamin heard this and did not know how to respond, "But, Your Majesty has also matured to be a worthy king as well."
"I hope so," the King sighed.
"About that," Benjamin suddenly thought of something, "Before this, the emperor was rather healthy, why did he suddenly pass?"
The Queen’s death made him think of the empire’s split ten years ago. Didn’t the emperor die in the exact same way as the Queen?"
He could not help but suspect that the two incidents were related.
"This... I am not sure." The King showed a face full of regret, "When my father passed, I was out hunting. After it happened, people were constantly arguing about the cause; some said it was the Church, some said it was my younger brother, and some even suspected me of doing it... the empire was in too much chaos that time, we were constantly at each other’s throats and did not know who to trust."
"Were they no clue at all? Was there was not a single suspicious thing that happened when your father passed?"
"Hmm… the mage that was tasked with guarding the palace noticed weird magical activity, but after tracing it, could not find anything." The King said helplessly, "The only ones in the palace that night was that night was my father, mother, Scarlett, and a few guards and servants... no one knows what happened, but what they discovered was both of my parents’ lifeless bodies the dining hall, the servants all gone without a trace, and Scarlett passed out nearby, waiting to be rescued – she had been blind in one eye ever since then."
Benjamin heard this and frowned.
That situation back then was intense…
But, from this narration, he felt that the possibility of the Church being the culprit was rather high. The Church back then was mysteriously closed ten years ago as well. Benjamin did not believe this was by pure coincidence.
The Queen was the only witness back then. She constantly said that the Church was the one responsible for the King’s death, yet did not describe what happened that night in detail. And now, the Queen was dead, about to be buried along with all her secrets.
Benjamin strongly felt that the Church was involved in the Queen’s death.
"Your Majesty, all of the officers are waiting in the main hall."
After ten minutes, a guard walked into the dining hall and reported.
"Understood." The King nodded and looked at Benjamin, "I have a haunting suspicion that what happened ten years ago might be related to what is happening now."
Benjamin drew a deep breath and walked together with the King.