Chapter 409: State-Stealer, Time of Reckoning

A simple dialogue, yet it held the entirety of the mourning for a departed friend, Ziegler. To stand and gaze upon this island—the very place he had sacrificed his life to protect—was Charles’s way of paying his final respects.

"A marvelous place. The magical density is exceptionally high, and it’s free from the chaotic trifles of the mainland. With the dragons—those beings whose innate magical talent and physical prowess are simply absurd—and the support of the Nightfall Church, it won't be long before this land flourishes."

Charles spoke, his sentimentality ending there; the rest would depend on looking toward the horizon.

"I suppose so. In any case, I’m not worried about these dragons running into trouble. Erielian and Noel are helping them adapt to this new era. When it comes down to it, the foundation of the dragon race is far superior to others. If not for that business with the Abyss creatures back then, they would surely be one of the most influential intelligent races on the continent."

Acknowledging Charles’s words, Wang Yu naturally understood that the Dragon Island was a place of infinite potential.

"Oh my, if I were to step down from the Night’s Edge later on, retiring here would be a truly excellent choice. With the dragons around, surely no one would be foolish enough to stir up trouble. And with my connection to you, the Archbishop, I could simply live in luxury and command as I please."

Charles remained Charles; three sentences in, he was already back to his glib, teasing self.

"Don't start with your nonsense. Setting aside what you mean by 'commanding as you please,' even if you were to step down from the Night’s Edge, you are nowhere near retirement age. Let’s talk business."

Wang Yu shook his head in silence. Although Charles was a mage, his resources were vast; there was no doubt he could remain youthful until his dying day.

"Fine, fine, I’ll stop teasing. Let me ask you: any interest in becoming a kingdom-thief?"

Coughing twice, Charles dropped the banter. His expression turned serious as he looked at Wang Yu, revealing the true purpose of his visit.

"A kingdom-thief? You mean to say this has something to do with the Alastair royal family?"

Chewing over the term Charles had used, Wang Yu couldn't fully grasp the implications, but since it was mentioned, it could only be linked to Alastair.

"Exactly. Your previous incident was essentially the fuse. After that, the tension between the Night’s Edge and the royal family quieted for a while, and they even pushed a poor soul like me to the front as a target for both sides to watch."

"But the conflict was always there, and it’s been intensifying lately. The royal family keeps inserting their own people into the Night’s Edge, trying to slowly seize control, but it’s useless. After all, our people either believe in the Lady of the Night or the God of Light; those royal agents might get in, but they never truly enter our inner circle."

"The total number of Night’s Edge members is relatively fixed. When those royal lackeys are squeezed in, the displaced members simply join Edward’s 'Outlier Thorns.' They have no official title, but they operate in the shadows, which is actually more convenient."

Charles began to recount the situation between the royal family and the Night’s Edge since Wang Yu had left Alastair, which largely aligned with what Wang Yu already knew.

"And now, the situation is that the royal family seems tired of playing pretend. Nominally, a third of the Night’s Edge members are already their people. They’ve started to find me an eyesore and are planning some 'accident' to finish me off. Xiao Yi and I spend a great deal of time every day just defending against that."

Spreading his hands, Charles wore an expression of profound annoyance and helplessness. It was clear he was truly weary of the constant assassination attempts; after all, one only had one life, and a single mistake meant death.

"Tsk... weren't you the one they specifically pushed into that position? How did they turn on you so quickly?"

Wang Yu clicked his tongue. He wasn't a man who held grudges easily, but he wasn't magnanimous either. He had never intended to let his past grievances with the royal family slide, and now, it seemed the time for a reckoning could be moved up.

"Indeed, that was the case. I was the heir to the old noble House of Lyde and the leader of the Night’s Edge—a perfect buffer zone to stall the friction between the two, allowing them to slowly consolidate the power and wealth left behind by the purged emerging nobles."

"But buffer zones have an expiration date. Once they’re no longer needed, they become an obstruction. The royal family has consolidated most of the power they wanted, and the old nobles who profited from it have squeezed the Lyde family out."

"Though we are still nominally an old noble house, we’ve actually been pushed to the fringes, amounting to nothing. My position has become very delicate."

"My status as the leader of the Night’s Edge was once granted by my family’s standing; now, the position is the only leverage my family has left. Naturally, they have to get rid of me."

Charles spoke casually, clearly well-versed in the royal family’s machinations—or rather, he had expected this all along.

"Isn't the power inherited from Xiao Yi the guarantee of your family’s status? By rights, the Lyde family’s position in the noble circle should be quite stable."

Charles had explained it clearly enough for Wang Yu to understand: once the royal family had consolidated their power, they intended to tighten their grip on the kingdom entirely. At this point, the already-strained Night’s Edge had become the greatest obstacle.

"About that, let’s put it this way: the royal family has found a better option. Remember that Great Astrologer? Doran? Charlemagne now relies almost entirely on her for prophecies, so there’s no need to give special treatment to a family whose position is already awkward."

Answering Wang Yu’s question, Charles continued.

"Anyway, after that incident of yours, most of the Night’s Edge members have realized that working for the royal family or trying to curry favor is a dead end. Sooner or later, they’ll decide you’re an eyesore and finish you off. Unless you use force, nothing else works."

"So, I discussed it with the brothers in the Night’s Edge. There are two options: either we stop dealing with the royal family and pull the Night’s Edge out of Alastair entirely—either scattering or joining your promising Nightfall Church, as I’m sure the Dragon Island still needs manpower."

Charles smiled at Wang Yu, presenting one of his plans.

"Of course, the members of the Night’s Edge are absolute elites. I would be delighted to have them join, but looking at you, you probably never considered this option at all."

Although Charles presented the plan well and sounded sincere, based on Wang Yu’s understanding of him, he had no intention of choosing it; he was merely stating it for the sake of it.

"You saw right through me. Well, the main problem is that there are too many complications. Aside from the trivial reason of hating the royal family, most of the Night’s Edge—except for you and the Professor—are locals of Alastair."

"Their ancestors lived there, their homes and fields are there, and so are their wives and children. To force them to leave their homeland is something many members simply cannot accept."

"The royal family wouldn't just watch such a large group of Night’s Edge members leave the kingdom. Not only does the law forbid it, but they wouldn't allow such a massive force to become an invisible threat to them. They would inevitably use those 'weak points' as leverage."

Peeling back the seemingly pleasant shell of the first plan, Charles laid out the grim reality. It was easy to understand and brutally realistic: the royal family wanted everything, a necessary trait for a power-hungry group, and one bolstered by their long-accumulated foundation.

"So it wasn't as good as it looked. In that case, does being a 'kingdom-thief' mean teaming up with you to blow the royal family to pieces?"

It was much as Wang Yu had envisioned; the problems were too numerous. What seemed simple was, in fact, exceptionally complex.

"Uh, though that sounds a bit too blunt, that is exactly what it means. Edward’s special status is the guarantee for the second plan."

"There is a deliberately hidden law left behind by the first king: if the four border dukes deem that the entity atop the 'throne' is no longer fit to lead the kingdom, they may elect a new royal line."

"This clause is indeed a bit of a relic, as no generation of the four border dukes has ever invoked it, but its existence gives our actions a degree of legitimacy."

"Edward has already contacted his father and the other three dukes. Their stance is unified: they will not interfere. They will let the Northern Duke’s faction and the Night’s Edge settle things with the royal family themselves, and they will recognize the victor."

"What we must do is become 'kingdom-thieves'—not robbers who steal the kingdom, but those who take the kingdom back from the hands of the damned robbers that are the royal family."

Charles didn't know why he was hung up on the term "kingdom-thief," but he had said all that needed to be said.

"Seemingly cautious, yet the three dukes prioritize stability above all. Agreeing not to intervene already speaks volumes about their stance. In this world, one cannot simply apply the rules of Earth. Whoever has the bigger fist has the right—that is the only true, hard logic."

Pondering slightly in his heart, Wang Yu had a rough idea of the situation.

"So, we need some powerful entities. Can we count you in?"

Charles looked at Wang Yu, formally issuing the invitation.

"Naturally. I never intended to let those old debts go. Count me in."

"Ho ho, that is indeed good news. But how is your strength now? Don't go getting yourself captured again."

"If I had to evaluate it, I don't think there are many entities in the realm of Legends who could do much to me."

After a brief pause, Wang Yu gave his answer.

"Damn, you monster!"

The answer was so absurd that even Charles, who had prepared himself, found it difficult to accept for a moment.