At noon, the sound of funeral bells rang throughout the capital, announcing the king's death. The big bell on the top of the side building of the palace was rung nine times, each time for nine strokes.
For most people, this will have no impact on their lives, but for others, today will be a turning point.
"What does this bell mean?" asked Katerina.
"The king is finally dead, and now the princess has become the queen," said Ganor.
"Is this the death knell?" Li Tianrui asked.
"That's right. Nine times nine rings is the highest standard, which means the king is dead. Eight times eight rings means the queen is dead. Hehe, but the bell hasn't rung once since the queen died." Ganor said.
Before their eyes, a team of Sun Knights on horseback were galloping past them, rushing towards the battlefield not far away, joining the battle that Ganor had just started.
To be fair, many of the middle and high-ranking knights who rushed there were there to stop the fight, but no matter how magnanimous and good-tempered they were, they could not withstand the deliberate provocation of some people in the Raging Wave Knights. As a result, the battle became more and more intense, from a dozen people fighting to hundreds of people, from one battlefield to several battlefields.
"I never thought the knights of the temple would be so violent," said Catalina.
"After all, they are just a bunch of rough guys. They are no different from those guys in the army or mercenary groups who have muscles in their brains. It's okay if there are people to restrain them, but if there is no one to restrain them, they can do anything. This kind of group fight is not the first or second time, and there have been cases of knife attacks before." Ganuo said.
"Not all armies are like this," said Li Tianrui.
"Is it possible that the army you are in doesn't engage in group fights?" Garno asked back.
Li Tianrui was stunned and had nothing to say.
"The real army of God is certainly not like this. These people are just in name only, they are not the real warriors of God." The war angel Anar said with a cold face.
"You sound like you are the same." Ganor sneered and said, "Let's go. Let's go to the city gate. The two captains have just been called to a meeting by Lord Roland. No one can control them now. Her Majesty the Queen can't count on their strength today."
The four of them came to the west gate, which was closer to the market, and saw a team of city guards and a team of Fiery Sun Knights guarding there. At this time, a Fiery Sun Knight on horseback came running from a distance. He dismounted and shouted to the people at the gate: "It's bad! Centurion Rachel was knocked unconscious. We need more manpower to support us. Follow me!"
"What's going on!" the captain of the gate asked fiercely, "What's the matter with all the panic?"
The man panted and said, "A fight has broken out. A fight has broken out. Those bastards from the Knights of the Raging Waves are trying to provoke us. They want us to vomit out all the food we took this time. Centurion Rachel was trying to stop the fight, but he was ambushed and knocked unconscious. He's still in their hands. We have to send someone to get him back."
"How could this happen? Did Nu Tao rebel?"
"No, it's just the same as before, except that this time the Nu Tao people fought particularly fiercely, as if they wanted to overpower us."
The team leader angrily said, "You want to ride on our heads? You must be tired of living."
He called his men to assemble and said, "The centurion was beaten, we must go and take revenge, follow me!"
The Knights of the Fiery Sun left like the wind, leaving about twenty city guards and a few royal guards standing there at a loss.
"Well, it seems that my mission has been completed. You can rush out when necessary. As for these people in front of us..." He glanced at Anar, "I guess they are not enough to fill the gaps in this elder sister's teeth."
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At this moment, Princess Laura has legally become the queen of this country, sitting on the main seat in the royal palace meeting hall, surrounded by important officials of the kingdom. This position originally belonged to her father, but now it belongs to her.
This world is not like medieval Europe. The Temple of Nature does not have much ability to interfere with the succession of royal power. The queen only needs to hold a coronation ceremony to complete the transfer of the throne. Even if there is no ceremony, she has already truly mastered the power.
This can also be seen from the way other people addressed her. Marquis Francisco said, "Your Majesty, today is the day when His Majesty the King returns to the embrace of the God of Nature. Do you think that the day of Liu Pengfei's trial should be postponed? It seems a little inappropriate to hold it today?"
"No, it's just right." Although Princess Laura is less than seventeen years old, she looks mature and steady after being carefully dressed up. Her gestures have a certain royal dignity. "The capital is not peaceful now. Our most dangerous enemy is still lurking in the city. This trial is our established plan. So many actors are in place. We can't just not act. Landines, what do you think?"
The commander of the city guards, Marquis Landines, nodded and said, "Of course, Your Majesty, we have made all the preparations. If we don't hold it today, a lot of our efforts will be wasted."
The Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Duke of Rock Castle, Byles, frowned slightly and said, "Your Majesty, do you have any special plans? Why haven't we received any news?"
Princess Laura smiled reservedly, "Because dear former Prime Minister, you are also part of the plan."
"What did you say!" Byleth stood up suddenly and was about to retreat, but at this time Master Salmeron behind the princess raised his hand and waved a stream of fighting spirit at Byleth's chest. The Duke, who was a mid-level warrior, was immediately out of breath and unable to move. Marquis Landines drew out a sword and put it against his waist. He shouted outside the door, and a team of guards rushed in.
"Laura! Do you want to declare war on Rock Castle?" Duke Belez shouted sternly.
"Belez, maybe you don't know yet, your eldest son had an accident while hunting a few days ago, and I have decided to let your second son Holva inherit the title. I have met with him, he is a loyal and reliable young man. And he promised me to atone for what you did, whether it is the embezzled military pay or the secretly sold slaves, he will compensate me according to the price to alleviate your sins."
"You! You!" The old duke just said two words, then he covered his chest and fell to the ground. The duke, who had a weak heart, finally couldn't hold on after being hit hard.
However, everyone present watched the Duke twisting on the ground, but no one dared to say a word until Byleth's body could no longer move.
"Everyone, it seems that our former Prime Minister still has a sense of shame. Dying in shame is the best redemption for his sins. No doubt, I have sufficient evidence to prove that he deserved to die. Of course... In addition to his evidence, I have some other evidence." The Queen's eyes swept over everyone present. Some people were fidgeting, and some were sweating.
"But now is not the time, we have something more important to do today..." The queen said with a smile. She knew that she had finally got a handle on these guys who were taking advantage of their age.
But at this moment, she couldn't help but feel a little regretful. The man who helped her arrange all this was going to be hanged this afternoon, and his death would just become a means for her to attract everyone's attention, so that she could eliminate those old guys who wanted to climb over her head according to his plan.
How ironic.