Chapter 42: Borrow Your...
The kingdom’s council chamber fell into dead silence. The Third Prince stood on the stone steps below the throne, his expression somewhat grim.
Joe Valentine stared blankly at the old king’s corpse, his lips parting and closing. Although he had defected to the Third Prince, he had never imagined killing the old king.
“Iron Hand, we’ve succeeded.”
The Third Prince suddenly spoke, his expression easing considerably, even revealing a smile.
“Mm, we succeeded.”
Su Xiao released the old king’s neck, letting the old lion recline on the throne. The two appeared to have fallen out, but that wasn’t the case. Before his death, the old king had confirmed one thing: Su Xiao would not betray the kingdom like Rowan Harvey had.
The old king had used his life to test that Su Xiao wouldn’t defect. This was crucial information he left for the Third Prince, who understood it well. That was why he didn’t summon a swarm of imperial guards to surround and kill Su Xiao.
“You still managed to scheme against me one last time.”
Su Xiao glanced at the old king’s corpse. There was no fear of death on the old king’s face; instead, he was smiling.
In truth, this old lion had been on the verge of collapse seven days ago. He suffered from severe asthma, which was why he kept dry-coughing. The old lion knew his time was short, but before a new king was chosen, he understood he couldn’t die—absolutely couldn’t die.
First, the old lion took a secret medicine, then injected himself with the blood of a Lich Lord. The Lich Lord wasn’t transformed from the Necromancer Clan but from a powerful Holy Warrior.
The Lich Lord’s blood successfully prolonged the old king’s life, but he had to endure unimaginable pain. During those days, the old lion couldn’t sleep at all. He experienced maddening agony every moment. That was terrifying—if the old king had been healthy, how wise would he have been?
The old lion held on until the new king appeared. When the Third Prince entered the council chamber, the old lion’s expression relaxed greatly because he knew he could finally be freed.
In the end, the old king made a deal with Su Xiao—a deal known only to the two of them. The old king would provide the method to enter beneath the throne, and Su Xiao would help relieve his suffering, not betray the kingdom, or rather, not defect to the Necromancer Clan’s forces.
The result was obvious. Su Xiao agreed to the deal, so the old king died with a smile on his throne.
Today, the old king taught the Third Prince one thing through his actions: “Your old man will always be your old man, kid. You’re still too green.”
The Third Prince indeed lacked the old lion’s intimidating presence, but he was clever. That was why he didn’t fall out with Su Xiao.
It wasn’t that the Third Prince feared Su Xiao, but that he needed Su Xiao’s identity as Iron Hand to intimidate those powerful ministers.
When the Third Prince fully grasped the throne’s authority, he would certainly turn against Su Xiao. Fully seizing royal power wasn’t simple—it would take at least half a month, even a month or two.
During this period, as long as Su Xiao didn’t do anything to make the Third Prince bristle, the two sides would maintain a tacit understanding of non-interference. This was the result Su Xiao wanted, though not the ideal one.
Originally, Su Xiao had considered supporting a capable puppet (someone who couldn’t resist in the short term). Unfortunately, there were too few such princes or princesses, and even if there were, they likely couldn’t command respect.
The princes and princesses had received “higher education” from a young age. They were well-versed in the art of kingship. The useless ones had long been eliminated, leaving only the capable.
As for supporting a complete puppet, Su Xiao had never considered that. Even if he backed a puppet, they had to be capable. The threat of the Necromancer Clan was right before them. If the front lines were breached by the Necromancer Clan, the joke would be on him. After that, Su Xiao wouldn’t need to worry about completing his mission—he’d have to figure out how to survive under the siege of the Necromancer army.
After a period of observation, Su Xiao ultimately chose the Third Prince. This guy had a large army under his command, so he understood military matters well. With such a prince becoming the new king, even if the kingdom’s economic system collapsed, the Necromancer Clan wouldn’t be able to break through in the short term.
If the frontline legion commanders learned that the Third Prince had become the new king, they’d be as excited as if they’d been injected with stimulants. The Third Prince would definitely promote them heavily. Kingdom Legion Commander Hesterlet might even become the Third Prince’s right-hand man. Even though he was a minister of the old king—a courtier from the previous dynasty—he had taken sides early and consistently supported the Third Prince. Unless the Third Prince’s head was kicked by a donkey, he would certainly promote Hesterlet. If he didn’t, it would chill many people’s hearts.
The current situation was clearly favorable to Su Xiao. He and the Third Prince checked each other. The Third Prince needed him to intimidate those powerful ministers, while Su Xiao needed the Third Prince to maintain the kingdom’s stability. Only in a stable environment could he more easily complete the hidden side mission.
As for the promotion assessment mission for the adventure group, Su Xiao had roughly guessed how to activate it. If that was the case, after completing the hidden side mission, he would have to leave the royal capital and head straight for the front-line battlefield.
The Third Prince approached the throne. He actually had little emotional connection with the old king. In his early childhood, he occasionally saw the old king, but by his teenage years, he had been granted a fiefdom on the border. From then on, he had been locked in a life-and-death struggle with the Necromancer Clan. It could be said that the Third Prince grew up in military camps, which was why he was so iron-blooded and ruthless.
“Your Majesty, how should the old king’s funeral be arranged?”
Joe Valentine spoke in a low voice. He adapted quickly, addressing the Third Prince as “Your Majesty” while the old lion became the “former old king.”
“Valentine, give me your opinion.”
The Third Prince looked at Joe Valentine with a smile, a smile that already bore a faint resemblance to the old king’s.
“Well…”
Joe Valentine shed his previous respectful attitude, becoming warm and familiar. In truth, he wasn’t very close to the Third Prince.
“In my personal opinion, it’s better not to hold the old king’s funeral.”
“Oh? How so?”
The Third Prince looked at Joe Valentine with interest.
“Your Majesty, think about it. Only the three of us know of the old king’s death.”
“Woof!”
Bubu Wang, who had been watching the commotion nearby, barked. Joe Valentine was startled. Bubu Wang glared at him, as if to say, “Am I not a person? I’m a Wangxing person.”
“Ahem.”
Joe Valentine coughed lightly, a bit embarrassed. He certainly recognized Bubu Wang, who was inseparable from Su Xiao, but he wasn’t sure when this dog had entered the council chamber.
Seeing Bubu Wang, the Third Prince’s eyelid twitched. So many imperial guards were stationed outside the hall, yet he couldn’t figure out how this dog had gotten in.
Bubu Wang surveyed the council chamber. After looking around, he seemed disappointed, as if to say, “Where’s the promised banquet?”
Bubu Wang hadn’t entered the council chamber just to find food. He was warning the Third Prince that even with a large number of imperial guards protecting him, Su Xiao could still take his life. Perhaps one day, while the Third Prince was sound asleep, Bubu Wang would sneak up beside him and bite through his throat.
“In the near future, I’ll enter beneath the throne. By the way, I’ll borrow your sister.”
Su Xiao walked toward the exit of the council chamber.
“My sister?”
Before the Third Prince could ask which sister he meant, Su Xiao had already left the council chamber with Bubu Wang.