The First Vampire - Chapter 630

Chapter 630: 628 Undercurrent (Part 2)_1
 

“This… has been used.”

Colin touched his nose, putting up an awkward expression, and at the same time, he paid close attention to every minor change in Duke St. Gregorian’s facial expressions.

“Did it work?” Duke St. Gregorian asked impatiently.

Colin nodded.

Duke St. Gregorian’s gaze instantly radiated an astonishing brilliance, as if his long-held wish had been fulfilled. His voice quivered a little:

“Really? Is Anna really pregnant with your child?”

Colin carefully scrutinized Duke St. Gregorian’s expression and realized that he was not happy because Anna was pregnant, but rather, he was overjoyed that Anna “could” get pregnant.

“No, Your Grace, you misunderstood. I meant, Vera is pregnant.”

Upon hearing this, the light in Duke St. Gregorian’s eyes quickly faded, and his expression cooled down, “Are you making fun of me?”

“I would not dare to fool around with you.” Colin hastily explained, “Vera is my wife who has been wanting to have my child for a long time, so… I naturally prioritized giving her the mistletoe.

However, if you really want to see Anna pregnant with my baby, I will make extra efforts later.”

Duke St. Gregorian gave a somewhat uninterested nod, indicating that he understood.

Seeing this, Colin became more curious as to why this Duke of the Westland was so concerned about whether Anna was pregnant with his child.

However, he knew that he did not have time to delve into this gossip now. His primary task was to persuade Duke St. Gregorian to abandon his crazy idea of supporting Mr. Ji’s plan to sacrifice the Storm Fortress.

“Your Grace, if I’ve guessed correctly, Mr. Ji is planning to sacrifice the Storm Fortress and apply the Eyes of Judgement against the Orc Emperor, isn’t he?”

Duke St. Gregorian gave Colin a glance and nodded without hiding anything.

“Your Grace, how could you agree to such a reckless plan?”

“Reckless?” Duke St. Gregorian sneered, “Mr. Ji’s plan, although as reckless as Garcia Saint Hilde’s, at least has the possibility of success.”

Colin instantly felt a bit awkward, but he continued persuading:

“Your Grace, there is no need for us to sacrifice so many lives. If the Imperial Allied Army retreats to the Luwal Valley, taking advantage of the complex terrain there, I am confident in concentrating our superior forces…”

“Is that Garcia’s plan?” Duke St. Gregorian interrupted with a sneer.

Colin was dumbfounded for a moment, hesitating before nodding his head.

Denying it now would be an insult to Duke St. Gregorian’s intelligence.

“So, what right do you have to criticize Mr. Ji’s plan? If Garcia sacrifices the Westland, and Mr. Ji sacrifices the Storm Fortress, who is more righteous than the other?”

Colin wanted to say that Marquis Garcia had no intention of sacrificing the Westland. If everyone had listened to Marquis Garcia’s suggestions from the beginning and had arranged for the evacuation of the Westland residents in advance, the current catastrophe would not have occurred.

But by now, saying these things would seem hollow.

Marquis Garcia’s plan had already become stained with countless blood.

“You should go.” Duke St. Gregorian said in a cold voice, “Don’t try to interfere with Mr. Ji’s plan, or else, don’t blame me for being impolite!”

Colin opened his mouth, but finally just sighed, turned around, and left.

——————————

“What are you here for?”

Emperor Reinhardt glared at Queen Midela who was approaching, and asked grumpily.

“I came to help you make a decision.” Queen Midela replied with a smile.

“I don’t need you to meddle in my decision-making!”

“Your Majesty, you misunderstood.” Despite Emperor Reinhardt’s harsh words, Queen Midela remained serene, “I am here to offer you some advice, I have no intention to interfere in your decisions.”

Emperor Reinhardt’s face relaxed a bit, but he still didn’t want to engage with the Queen.

“Your Majesty, what are you hesitating about? Could it be that you are reluctant to give up those refugees?” Queen Midela took the initiative to ask.

Emperor Reinhardt snorted lightly, saying:

“Why would I worry about such lowly people? To be able to sacrifice their lives for the continuation of the empire, it is their honor! I just don’t want to throw away the imperial army…”

Upon hearing this, Queen Midela laughed and said:

“Your Majesty, you’re not thinking of sacrificing another city, are you? Mr. Ji said that to kill the Orc Emperor, it requires a sacrifice of one million people, and the only city in the entire Empire with such a population… is Dragon City.”

“We can’t possibly sacrifice Dragon City!” Emperor Reinhardt interrupted, and then said thoughtfully, “I am thinking, can we drive all the refugees in the Storm Fortress to a nearby large city, perhaps…”

“Your Majesty, have you considered the consequences of such actions?” Queen Midela’s face grew stern as she quickly warned, “If you sacrifice the Storm Fortress, you can easily blame everything on Mr. Ji and claim ignorance. But if you forcefully gather refugees in a nearby city and then sacrifice that city… do you think the citizens of the empire will still believe in your innocence?”

Emperor Reinhardt’s face changed, clearly realizing that his idea was somewhat foolish.

However, after contemplating for a while, he reluctantly asked:

“Can I relocate the royal elite troops from the Storm Fortress in advance? The number is not too many, only about thirty thousand, that shouldn’t have an impact…”

“No! Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot do that.” Queen Midela, once again, cautioned him sternly, “The armies of others have been sacrificed, but only the royal family’s army is spared, who would then believe in your innocence?”

Emperor Reinhardt’s spirits seemed immediately deflated.

Seeing this, Queen Midela spoke again:

“Your Majesty, sacrificing the imperial army at the Storm Fortress actually serves to your advantage. At the very least, the elite forces of the South and East will be wiped out. For a short time, these two borders won’t pose a threat to the central authority…”

“But the royal elite will also be gone!” Emperor Reinhardt interrupted in a displeased manner.

Then, he seemed to realize something, his eyes immediately turning dangerous as his tone became incredibly cold:

“No, your Northern Army is still intact! So this is the real reason why you’re persuading me, isn’t it?”

Queen Midela slowly shook her head, saying:

“Your Majesty, think again. If only the Northern Army is spared, then who would the citizens see as the orchestrator behind the evil plan of colluding with Mr. Ji and sacrificing the Storm Fortress?”

Emperor Reinhardt’s eyes lit up as if he finally understood, and he blurted out:

“Garcia St. Hilde!”

“Correct.” Queen Midela nodded, saying, “The St. Hilde family will not be the beneficiaries, on the contrary, they will become the target of blame! You can even use this as a reason to declare the St. Hilde family as traitors, strip them of their territory and nobility!

Take back the North!

At that time, the most powerful remaining military force in the empire will be under your control.”

Emperor Reinhardt was stunned, and after a moment he spoke in a surprised tone:

“Have you forgotten your own surname?”

Queen Midela laughed lightly, saying:

“Your Majesty, it doesn’t matter what my surname is, what matters is what surname my son has!”

Emperor Reinhardt stared at his queen with a deep, penetrating gaze, as if he was trying to discern the sincerity in her eyes.

After a moment, he slowly nodded and said:

“Alright, I will trust you one more time.”

Queen Midela smiled beautifully, and said again:

“Your Majesty, if you wish to control the North, another person will pose a significant obstacle.”

“Vera St. Hilde?”

“No, Colin Angler.”