Chapter 177 (2/2)

「Something's bugging me… I suppose we'll know once I see this Four Stars of the East.」

Gerhardt rested his chins on his hand. The girls moved close to him, laying their hands on him gently.

「Summon the Four Stars of the East here.」

「…What?」

「I'll verify with my own eyes whether or not they're the ones behind our current problem.」

「Just go.」

「U-Understood, Your Majesty!」

The portly man left, puzzled.

「Your Majesty, could you please explain?」An old reptilian man asked—no, a look at the sh.e.l.l on his back and one could tell he was from the Turtle Men clan. His long beard hung straight down, tied a little at the tip.

「So even you have no idea.」the king said.

「None at all.」

「You old fart. You're just too lazy to explain yourself so you want me to do it instead!」

「I am but a foolish attendant. I ask that the wise king explain in his own words what he is thinking.」the old man asked politely.

Gerhardt frowned and spat.

「I've talked about this countless times before. Ponsonia's king was a foolish man and a lunatic. If left alone, the kingdom would've destroyed itself in the war against Quinbland. We could've then taken over Ponsonia with the least amount of casualties.」Feeling grumpy, Gerhardt started explaining the matter. He acknowledged the old man's superiority.「But then the king was killed.」

There was a stir among the va.s.sals. They were told the death was accidental. There was no conclusive report about it being a murder.

「A death by illness would be too flimsy at this time. It's necessary to a.s.sume the worst possible scenario.」

「So you are saying Kudyastoria a.s.sa.s.sinated the king and is the one behind all this.」

「Yes, it's safe to a.s.sume that, but…」

Gerhardt's frown deepened. Lion Beastmen aged fast. The king took the throne when he was twenty-seven and he was now forty-five years old. Going by normal Beastman standards, he would only live for five more years. He was old, yet none could beat him still.

This was a problem. If no one could best him, he would have to partic.i.p.ate in next year's tournament. Gerhardt wanted someone else to take the throne already, for the country's future.

「Something just doesn't feel right. The king's a.s.sa.s.sination, killing a dragon, disarming Rising Falls. There's a game changer behind the scenes.」

「And it is the Four Stars of the East?」

「My instinct says it's not. But I have to see them to be sure.」

「I see.」

The old man withdrew. The va.s.sals seemed to have understood the king's point. His hunch had helped the country numerous times before. He'd defended Einbeast against calamities and even killed gigantic monsters. Everyone was of this common understanding that the king should simply act however he liked.

「Tell Gotthold this.」

The man who gave the report was still kneeling down. He took out a pen and a paper to write down the king's words.

「Summon the Four Stars of the East to the capital. There's a possibility they have Rising Falls' weapon. We can verify it once they're here, but if they don't make an appearance, then we'll just have to take Ponsonia. I'll join the fight as well.」

A loud commotion ensued. The turtle old man was about to step forward when Gerhardt gestured him to stop.

「It'll be my last big job during my term. I don't think we can take the royal capital that easily, but if we surround the place, we can cut down Ponsonia's territory slowly.」

Gerhardt's eyes gleamed, eyes that didn't care about arbitrations or territorial divisions. He just wanted to destroy Ponsonia. His va.s.sals felt his excitement.

「Make sure your armors undergo maintenance.」

「Yes, Sir!」the men answered in unison.

On that day, Einbeast, who was just waiting to see how the situation unfolded, instantly prepared themselves for an all-out war against Ponsonia.

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