King-Chapter 1391 - 269: Assassination Case_2

Reality told them that they could no longer afford to wallow in despair. Otherwise, if the ship capsized, everyone onboard would be doomed to sink with it.

Over the past few years, countless cautionary tales had already emerged, with the most emblematic being the Warhammer Kingdom.

As one of the Continent’s Ten Great Kingdoms, its internal strife escalated to the point where it became a leading example of the Human Race’s first major downfall.

The representatives of various kingdoms present, though residing deep within the Human Race’s heartlands, were not immune to danger either.

Just look at the Clergy—if not for the anti-magic war, this paper tiger could have continued flaunting its power for many years.

Unfortunately, they lacked self-awareness; the paper tiger mistook itself for a real tiger and kept stirring up trouble and attracting hatred.

Although they have now declined, their arrogance still hasn’t dissipated. They wish to band together with these fallen kingdoms, yet cannot bring themselves to lower their pride.

Of course, the root cause is hatred. After all, they’ve just had their home raided—trying to cozy up to them now would only seem disgraceful.

Among the Three Kingdoms in decline, the Kingdom of Rusenia has been the most drastic in its actions. Not only did they confiscate the Clergy’s assets, but they also severed the hands the Clergy had once extended into their domain.

The clergy dispatched by the Clergy were all labeled as heretics and sent directly to the stake.

Nobles close to the Clergy also faced purges, under the same pretext the Clergy once used to eliminate dissent during their infiltration—heresy.

Following the Kingdom of Avarat’s lead, the Kingdom of Rusenia seized the opportunity and embarked upon its own path of reform.

Having removed the Clergy, this major obstacle in its path, Rusenia’s reform progress even outpaced that of the Kingdom of Avarat.

The only kingdom showing little response was the Ouprus Kingdom. However, spurred by their neighbors’ initiatives, domestic calls for reform were also steadily rising.

Whether they can rise anew from the ashes remains uncertain, but regardless, reform has become the prevailing trend on the Continent of Aslante—as though failing to reform means falling behind the times.

In addition to these three, the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent have also launched grand "reform for survival" movements, with reform initiatives in smaller kingdoms proliferating even further.

Even a major power like the Alpha Kingdom, which had been scoring consecutive victories, couldn’t suppress the growing internal calls for reform.

A pivotal event: Marquis Delgado, leader of the reformists, ascended to the position of Chancellor.

Count Francis, newly appointed as Minister of Finance, due to the nature of his role, was forced to align with the reformists.

Of course, Francis’s commitment to the reforms was lukewarm; while supporting reform, he simultaneously sought alternative methods to salvage the kingdom’s finances.

For instance: urging the King to declare bankruptcy.

After all, compared to reform efforts, the risks associated with financial bankruptcy were far smaller.

If reform fails, lives could be lost. If the kingdom’s finances collapse, at worst, one merely carries a tarnished reputation.

Given the Alpha Kingdom’s prolonged years of warfare, it was likely that domestic Nobles wouldn’t dare openly criticize. At most, foreign creditors might grumble.

Besides these two heavyweights, following an edict from Caesar IV, both Foreign Minister Marquis Omar and Minister of Agriculture Earl Rinnares also became reformist representatives.

The six key figures on the reform issue stood divided at four to two, signifying that the reformists had already seized dominance in court.

Unfortunately, the triumph of the reformists was limited to this. At the local level, the Major Nobles were overwhelmingly part of the Conservative Faction.

Without support from the local power brokers, reforms were the epitome of law failing to extend beyond the capital. The ultimate result was high reformist enthusiasm with real actions confined to mere slogans.

It’s not just the Human Race engaging in reforms—the Different Races weren’t idling either.

Aware that stagnation meant an inability to counter the Human Race, visionaries among the Different Races also ignited waves of reform within their own factions.

Perhaps owing to their long-standing trade interactions with the Human Race, the Dwarves were most profoundly affected by the influx of new ideas. Among the younger generation of Dwarves, challenges to traditional production methods emerged.

Even the Elf Race, leaders of the Alien Coalition, couldn’t escape the reformist tide.

As the oldest species on the Continent, the Elf Race was also the most conservative, with an internal hierarchical system that was exceptionally rigid.

Though the Elf Race appeared to value every member of their species, whenever their internal hierarchy was threatened, they showed no mercy in exerting their authority.

"Swish, swish..."

Over a dozen crossbow arrows cut through the air, hurtling toward the platform. Reacting swiftly, Belsden hastily erected a Magic Shield.

"Capture the assassins!"

Now alert, the Guards immediately pursued the direction from which the arrows were fired.

At that moment, dozens of assassins disguised as ordinary citizens snatched the Guards’ weapons and charged directly toward the platform.

Seeing this, Hudson’s smile instantly vanished.

Despite knowing he had two Sanctuary Bodyguards, they still employed such a clumsy assassination tactic—it was evident this was more of an act of disruption than a genuine attempt on his life.

Pulling off such a spectacle at his title conferment ceremony—did they seriously think he wouldn’t resort to killing?

If not for Caesar IV, standing beside him and also within the barrage of arrows, Hudson would have suspected this was Caesar IV fearing that he might overshadow the throne, attempting to eliminate a potential threat in advance.

The sudden swell of assassins plunged the scene into chaos, and under everyone’s watchful eyes, a large-scale stampede unfolded.

The kingdom’s elite, once they regained composure, quickly subdued the chaos, but the kingdom’s reputation had already been thoroughly disgraced.

"Leave some alive—investigate the mastermind behind this!"

Caesar IV’s murderous rage filled his orders.

The humiliation was overwhelming!

The meticulously arranged conferment ceremony, intended as a showcase of military strength to the Continent’s nations, had instead devolved into a farcical embarrassment.

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