508 Candidates (2/2)

James and the other nobles stood up and drew crosses in the quiet and grievous atmosphere.

Five minutes later, Rex hinted that everybody should sit down and turned tough. ”Because His Highness Patrick, heir of the kingdom, has also been summoned by the Lord, without leaving any children, the Parliament of Nobles will elect an heir according to the law. The election will be based on the right of succession, on the premise that they are blessed by the Lord.”

By 'blessed by the Lord', he meant that a Grand Cardinal would come to host the ceremony of inheritance.

Rex did not allow the nobles to speak. Pointing at Gordon who was next to him. ”The royal family of Holm is in peril after such a strike. Therefore, Count Gordon decided to consider for his family and asked for the Lord's forgiveness. He quit the Temple Knights and returned through the teleportation array of the Church. He is a level-eight radiant knight and of the purest bloodline of 'Sword of Truth'. I propose that he should inherit the throne. Please vote by raising your hands.”

”Wait a moment.” James stood up and said loudly, ”Under such circumstances, according to the law, only if more than two thirds of the members agree and none of the nine dukes objects can the elected inherit the throne. Is it the case, President Rex?”

Rex looked at James gloomily, ”Yes, and no. When all the other candidates have no more than one fifth of the votes, the last candidate will not need to meet the requirement. In emergencies, the candidate with more than half of the votes will inherit the throne directly. I believe that it is an emergency right now. The throne cannot be left empty.”

”It is not up to you whether or not this is an emergency; it requires everyone's vote. Now, I propose Count David. He is closer to His Majesty in bloodline and much more entitled to the throne than Count Gordon. Also, he is a grand knight who has activated the strength of his bloodline.”

James did not speak on the podium but looked around at other nobles on the spot. ”I don't think any member will object to the hereditary hierarchy, right? If anyone agrees to it, then the candidates stronger than his son or his grandson can invoke the example and steal the title when they are about to inherit the title, right?”

It was the foundation to keep the nobles in fact. Every noble wanted to leave their title to their direct heir. If the strong were free to rob, every family would be filled with assassinations and internal strife.

Of course, that was one of the reasons why they succumbed to the Church. The independent and powerful church could ensure that nobody would disregard the rules because of their strength.

A conservative stood up and bowed at everybody courteously, ”According to the law, the bloodline abilities are the foundation of nobles, and powerful strength will be considered during inheritance. Considering the strength of a radiant knight, Duke Gordon and Count David are on par. Therefore, electing Count Gordon is not in violation of the law and will not result in the collapse of order.”

”Also, Count David's father was a sorcerer. We need to consider if he can be blessed by the Lord.”

His brief reply completely resolved James' attack.

Count Henson stood up with a feather pen. He also bowed around courteously and said, ”Just because the father is a sorcerer does not mean that the son is not a devout believer. Count David has never missed any church session and often donates to the Church. Everybody knows his piety well. I believe that the Lord can certainly see it and tolerate it. Count Gordon, on the other hand, once entered the Temple Knights. I find it hard to believe that he will place the interests of Holm before everything else in the future. This is not blasphemy of the Lord but a confusion of the power of the Church and the power of the king.”

At such a moment, he had no time to be subtle but pointed out the confrontation of the two powers.

Gordon raised his hands and smiled, ”Speculations are not proof. I believe that I will view the questions of nobles as the king of Holm instead of as a Temple Knight.”

The other liberals and conservations stood and offered their opinions. In the end, Rex said, ”Now, a show of hands. Those who agree with Count David, please raise your hands.”

Arms were raised. They did not seem to be many, but they already made up one third. While the liberals were outnumbered by the conservatives, they were more united.

Rex frowned at that as he could not invoke the first special clause now. Thinking for a moment, he proceeded, ”Those who agree with Count Gordon, please raise your hands.”

Arms were raised. It did not seem to be a problem that he would have the approval of more than half of the people. Rex began to consider how to make the motion of the state of emergency pass.

Suddenly, the raising of hands was stopped when there was still not half. Rex looked at Duke Solomon, stunned. The noble who had a black mustache shook his head, stating that he would not support candidates with distinctive church backgrounds. As a major leader of the conservatives, his attitude directly influenced many other nobles.

Duke James smiled, ”President Rex, it seems that we need to discuss and negotiate for a long time.”

Now that Duke Solomon hesitated, he was confident to kick Gordon out through compromises.

Rex fell silent. Looking at the mallet in his hands, he suddenly raised his head, ”I will propose another candidate.”

He intended to force Duke Solomon and the rest of them to agree with his proposal with the emergency of the situation, but they were more stubborn than he anticipated. He could only activate the backup plan now.

”Who? Who is higher on the hereditary hierarchy than Count David and Count Gordon?” Duke Russell expressed his objection.

Rex replied unhurriedly, ”Natasha Violet, Countess of Violet, has activated the bloodline of 'Sword of Truth'. She is closer to His Majesty than Count David is. Also, she is a radiant knight and a devout believer that can be blessed by the Church.”