Chapter 1007: Reaction (3)

Muivell Kingdom.

The royal family had once again gathered the ministers and the Arbiters they could muster at the moment.

Unlike the Zaecuria Kingdom or the Greenwood Kingdom, the opinion was split.

"Your Majesty. I believe that we have to demand Earl Ardagan to give the runes to the royal family so that everyone in the kingdom can get stronger, which will guarantee national security," one noble stated firmly.

The other nobles rebuked him. "Count Sekk, I believe that what you are saying is rather ambitious. If the royal family is abusing their privilege to get what the noble has invented, no one is going to create another thing in this kingdom anymore."

"I believe that Earl Ardagan is not concerned about this kingdom and is ready to defect. We can see how he acts toward the Greenwood Kingdom and the Zaecuria Kingdom."

"I don't think that's true. From what I heard, Earl Ardagan is cooperating with the Muivell Kingdom. He has created the Rune Academy in this kingdom, specifically in his territory. You should be aware that he has spread the runes themselves to the public. I think he has done the obligation for the kingdom."

"What did you say? He also spread the knowledge to other kingdoms."

"No. He spread the runes in this kingdom. However, we should question how that knowledge actually reached other kingdoms. Don't tell me, someone is getting bribes to fill their own pocket?"

"That's a bold accusation. Do you think you can take responsibility for your words?"

"I believe that Rune Academy is enough to prove his loyalty to the kingdom. If that's not enough, even with Princess Livia from the Greenwood Kingdom beside him, he still chooses Anna Stargaze to be his fiancee. At the same time, the number of people from our kingdom who are allowed to enter his Rune Academy is much higher than the rest of the kingdoms."

"That's right. What if your action forced the Greenwood Kingdom or the Zaecuria Kingdom to steal him? If Earl Ardagan left the kingdom, it would be a great loss for us."

"You should be the one taking responsibility for making him uncomfortable."

"Hasn't he done a great service to the country?"

"That's right. He has repelled 75,000 demons, those Superior Demons and a few Devil Saints from this land. This kind of attack far surpasses anything we've seen in the last couple of hundreds of years. Can your territory block them?"

"Not only that, but he has the backing of Moon Temple. Are you going to make people judge us by expelling him, which will also result in harming the Moon Temple? While they are not big, the people's opinion about them is rather high."

"You should be the one who feels ashamed for not being able to suppress your greed."

The arguments came back and forth. But it was apparent that the ones on Noel's side were greater.

And that was because of Kevin.

Kevin remained silent the whole time, watching the entire situation unfold.

He couldn't help but recall the letter that his daughter sent him.

'Father. The time is ripe. It's time for us to attack. I believe that you have been working hard to maintain connections with several nobles. If you mention the spot in the Rune Academy, I believe they will agree. We're also planning a few things about this rune.'

The message was simple, but that was enough to turn the tide.

In that instant, he informed the allies of the Stargaze family, who also knew the Ardagan family in the past. This way, they would definitely side with Noel. Even the royal family couldn't make a reckless decision when a lot of nobles stopped them.

At the same time, he had to thank Noel for having a lot of things to talk about. Despite showing his cards one after another, he didn't forget to share them a little bit so that he wouldn't get blamed for a monopoly.

While a monopoly could make a family strong, they would be subjected to a lot of opposition. By taking a step back, Noel created an opportunity for people to back him up in exchange for favors.

And it all started the moment he made a deal with the Sword Arbiter.

Everyone knew that the Sword Arbiter had once opposed Noel. However, it didn't change the fact that the Sword Arbiter was just.

Hence, Noel treated him with respect and even gave him a lot of benefits.

If someone like the Sword Arbiter could get all those benefits, what about them? They hadn't really opposed Noel. While they weren't as strong as the Sword Arbiter, they still had a bit of influence. And with him offering a seat in the Rune Academy, it would be easy for them to get them to his side.

Of course, by defeating the Supreme Devil Organization this time, Noel had shown that he had unprecedented strength. In addition, he showed the connections they thought were impossible.

The Water Lord, the Gem Lord, the Demon Banner Army, and even Duke Briton took part in it.

Kevin couldn't help but smile. However, his eyes were locked on three people. The first one would be the marshall, who was already known as the royal family's spear. The second person was the second ranked Arbiter, whose strength wasn't that far from the Sword Arbiter. The last one was Duke Raymond. He had already retired a few years ago, but to think that he would show up after this, it seemed that the royal family was planning to do something.

Still, Kevin was a bit skeptical about the current situation, especially with the fact that Josephine wasn't among them.

And as expected, Duke Raymond was here to fight for the royal family.

He stepped forward while stating, "Your Majesty. While I do recognize his achievement in repelling the Supreme Devil Organization, we can't ignore the fact that he brings foreign

power to this country. As everyone knows, Duke Briton, one of the most veteran commanders in the world, actively participated in that battle.

"This action was similar to acknowledging that the Muivell Kingdom couldn't protect itself. I believe that he had an ulterior motive and intended to weaken the Muivell Kingdom." Duke Raymond glanced at everyone on Noel's side.

The people instinctively feared him. If Duke Briton was one of the most veteran commanders, Duke Raymond was one of the most expert in politics in this kingdom. They were afraid that their actions would bring down their family.

"I wonder if that's true, Duke Raymond." Kevin stepped up.

Raymond looked at him with a solemn expression. "What do you mean, Marquis?"

"I heard there is cooperation in order to build a ship. However, the Supreme Devil Organization was trying to destroy it. As the lord of that territory, I don't think anyone can blame him for trying to protect what he's trying to build."

"It still doesn't answer my doubt, Marquis. Why was the duke there?"

"You should correct your words, Duke Raymond. Oh, maybe I should too. He is not the Duke Briton. He is simply a shipwright. You should have heard that he has passed down his mantle as a navy commander and retired from his position as a duke. Just like you." Kevin smiled.

Raymond furrowed his eyebrows. Kevin was clearly mocking him. After all, the royal family ended up having to recall the retired noble just to deal with the situation.

"If he was there as a shipwright, why would he unleash his power?"

"I think that question should be answered by His Majesty." Marquis Stargaze turned around and kneeled on one knee, asking out loud. "I implore the Majesty to give your subjects an explanation as to why you forbade the Sword Arbiter to participate in the battle. This battle had the potential to plunge the country into chaos.

"The Supreme Devil Organization has been rampant in the last few years. And with the previous battle, we could confirm that the demons could fight as an army.

"This kingdom only has eleven million people in population. However, if we take a look at the outside world, there are millions, if not billions, of demons.

"They have been doing nothing this whole time, but the Supreme Devil Organization has caused it to change. What if they rally millions of demons to raze this land? This will become an unprecedented attack that rivals the battle of dawn in the creation of the kingdom.

"Instead of punishing Earl Ardagan, I believe that we have to think about exterminating the Supreme Devil Organization right at this instant before they are able to rally more demons.

"The other kingdoms should be aware of this matter and think that we are unable to deal with a single terrorist organization. That's why I implore Your Majesty to exterminate these pests from this land. It's not Mr. Briton or other kingdoms that make our kingdom look weak. It's because we have let a single terrorist organization remain active to this day.

"I hope that Your Majesty could give an explanation to the subjects of the Muivell Kingdom for the sake of national security." Kevin ended his speech with a polite bow.

The nobles couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.

Most of the nobles here knew that the Supreme Devil Organization was related to the royal family.

However, they had truly become so big to the point that they couldn't be pardoned any longer. The reason was, as he said, what if the organization rallied millions of demons into this kingdom? If the royal family claimed it wouldn't happen, it was the same as admitting that the royal family was related to them. And the citizens would be enraged.

And this was why Kevin dared to be so bold. Despite trying to show his loyalty to the kingdom and its citizens, he was forcing the royal family to weaken themselves.