Chapter 1691: Chapter 1691

For the remainder of the turn, Dolores was unable to find any other symbols of power within the royal palace. She even sought out the Queen of Hamparvo, who usually kept a very low profile—the stepmother to most of the Stuarts—but the young woman seemed to have no knowledge of what Dolores was searching for.

Dolores, aware of Jenkins's ability to discern falsehoods, deliberately asked her a direct question:

"While Father was away from Ruen, did he entrust you with any important items for safekeeping?"

The young queen immediately denied it, and Jenkins knew at once that she was lying. Salsi II had definitely left something important with her.

"One from Duke Rodbyre, one with the queen, and most likely another with the Northern Border Garrison outside the city. That makes three. Is it really that simple..."

He pondered the question, then found his answer:

"Although acquiring three items secures victory, Salsi II must have left more than just three."

Outside the palace, Sarrot Stuart and his younger siblings had also failed to find anything through simple searches. But thanks to their superior numbers, they had seized control of the police force loyal to Dolores. While they hadn't managed to capture the armed officers who had fled into the palace at the last moment, Sarrot's pieces had effectively neutralized all of Dolores's forces outside the palace walls.

This was, in fact, something that could have been predicted long ago. After all, Jenkins's side had only three pieces, and two of them—the princesses—were little more than beautiful decorations.

At the same time, the envoy sent by the Crown Prince successfully made contact with them, though he had not yet returned to the prince's side. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel※fire.net

Night enveloped Nolan. With the Nolan Clock Tower destroyed, the familiar chimes were absent. But a grandfather clock in the room struck twelve, marking the beginning of the second half of the night and signaling that the game of peace was about to descend into war.

"Soon, the messenger will return to Sarrot and bring him the Northern Army Corps' conditions," Salsi II declared. "Sarrot will agree to let the army into the city and promise not to interfere with their movements. In exchange, the corps will lend him some men to surround the palace."

As Salsi II finished speaking, the eldest princess massaging his back couldn't help but sigh.

"Yani, is there something you wish to say?"

The king asked his daughter.

"You know my brother well, Father. You know exactly what he will do," Yani Stuart replied.

"Yes, Sarrot will certainly do that."

A look of disappointment crossed Salsi's face. Already in low spirits due to his failing health, his expression now made him seem all the more old and fragile.

"Sarrot will cease his attempts to block the Northern Army Corps from entering the city. After leaving a necessary force to patrol within the walls, he will lead his own troops to surround the palace and demand Dolores's surrender. When he is refused, he will bring up the steam cannons he found in the armory."

Even small-caliber steam cannons were not easily moved. Thus, by the end of this turn, Sarrot would likely not yet see his weapons arrayed outside the palace, which bought Dolores a little time.

"I'm curious," Jenkins interjected, "would the Crown Prince truly give the order to bombard the royal palace?"

Salsi II remained silent, so the eldest princess answered for her father.

"My eldest brother is a decisive man, skilled at making difficult choices. He isn't a wicked person, but when faced with a conflict of interests, he always makes the decision that best suits the current situation."

It wasn't a condemnation; the princess's assessment was quite neutral. Jenkins, however, simply shook his head.

"Just say he's ruthless. I prefer simpler adjectives."

Seeing Salsi II about to speak, Jenkins cut in again.

"I know history is written by the victors. A ruthless victor is packaged by the history books as 'decisive,' a leader forced by fate to make unpleasant choices. A soft-hearted victor, on the other hand, is portrayed as a benevolent saint, one who chose sentiment over self-interest... That's the amusement of history."

"And that is what I wanted to say to all of you," Salsi II said, addressing the three princesses. His gaze toward Jenkins grew more probing.

"I am curious. You don't even understand the unwritten rules of high society, so how do you grasp these concepts that commoners are never exposed to? Oh, and I hardly believe you've read books at the Sage Church on how to become an emperor or how to overthrow an empire. To my knowledge, no one writes of such things."

"I... just happened to hear whispers from the void," Jenkins replied softly, a hint of melancholy in his voice. He knew he could never return to his old world. Besides a few friends like Li Qian, there wasn't much tying him to it, but it was, after all, his home.

Chocolate noticed Jenkins's shift in mood and gently tapped the back of his hand with her tail in a gesture of comfort. Jenkins smiled at his cat; he knew that this world now held people—and a cat—he cared for deeply.

"So, will you be using an item?" he asked, turning to the king, whose expression was just as somber.

This time, Salsi II produced a silver dinner knife. It was of a common design; if thrown into a cutlery rack in a kitchen, it would be indistinguishable from any other piece.

"Cutlery is used to slice food," Salsi II mused, "but from the world's perspective, who among us is not food?"

He gently placed the knife on the edge of the chessboard.

"This will serve as a weapon to protect my son, Sarrot Stuart. He can only use it when his life is threatened. This weapon can cut through any metal with ease, and pierce any armor."

Knowing his son's character, Salsi II had restricted the knife's use. As for the knife's true purpose, its appearance was so unremarkable that Jenkins couldn't identify it. Its original function was probably not very powerful, or Salsi II would not have limited its effect in the game to merely being "exceptionally sharp."

"You've finally started handing out weapons," Jenkins remarked.

"You can as well. I don't mind," the northern king replied.

"You know perfectly well that I couldn't have brought a weapon to a meeting with you."

"But I know you Enchanters have many ways of concealing weapons. Let's see, will you reach into your pocket and pull out a sword the length of your arm?"