Colin thought he had heard wrong.
But when Duke St. Gerian let go of Anna and sat down at the long table again, he realized that the other party really didn't intend to fight anymore.
Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door suddenly, and an anxious voice came from outside at the same time:
"My lord, are you alright?"
Obviously, the movement just now alarmed the guards outside.
Colin immediately responded loudly: "I'm fine, I just met a friend who came to visit, please step back."
"yes!"
After the footsteps outside gradually faded away, Colin came to the table and sat down opposite Duke St. Grian.
The paladin, who was shouting to fight and kill just now, restrained his aura at this time, and suddenly changed from a powerful Valkyrie to a beautiful lady.
Such a drastic change made Colin uncomfortable for a while.
But he also realized that the change in Duke St. Grian's attitude actually happened after he discovered the true identity of Anna St. Pross.
This made Colin start to think about it—could it be that Anna had a special relationship with the Duke of St. Grian
Could it be that Anna is the illegitimate daughter of Duke St. Grian
But this guess feels a bit absurd no matter what. If it is true, shouldn't the Duke of St. Grian should avenge his old lover, the Duke of St. Pros
Moreover, the Duke of St. Grian is still unmarried and has no heirs. If Anna is her daughter, how could she be allowed to stay in the eastern region
Just when Colin was thinking wildly, Duke St. Grian said:
"Count Angelet, I have brought the news that the Orc Empire has officially dispatched troops. I believe you can also understand that the Glorious Empire must never fall into civil strife at this time. Therefore, reconciliation with the church is the only way!"
Colin calmed down, nodded and said, "I am also willing to reconcile with the church, but I will not forgive Gregory's actions. Therefore, unless the church agrees to the two conditions we put forward, we will not talk about anything!"
The Duke of St. Grian looked at Colin quietly for a while, and he was not as angry as before because of Colin's stubborn persistence, but fell into deep thought, as if he was really considering whether Colin's conditions could be accepted by the church. .
After a while, she spoke again and said:
"Count Angelet, I feel great sympathy for what happened to the Duke of St. Hilde. If possible, I also hope to clear those blasphemers out of the church and restore the glory of our Lord.
But you and I know it's impossible.
At least, this is not a goal that can be achieved in a short time.
Reckless and reckless behavior will only make the situation of the Glory Empire worse. "
Colin could feel the sincerity in Duke St. Grian's tone. Although he didn't know why she made such a big change in attitude, Colin was still willing to continue such a conversation.
"Your Excellency, please understand my position and the anger of the northerners. If the church is really allowed to get away easily without paying the due price, they will only get worse in the future! I can't tell the northerners Confession."
"Of course I don't want the church to get away with it easily." Duke St. Gregorian thought about it, "but the conditions you put forward are indeed too harsh. Especially for Gregory to abdicate... This will only cause Gregory's anger." Fight back desperately.
Believe me, a Pope's desperate counterattack will definitely plunge the Glorious Empire into extreme turmoil.
It would be fine if it was in other times, but now, this is a consequence that no one can bear! "
In fact, the previous warning from Queen Midella had already made Colin realize that it was probably impossible for Gregory to abdicate voluntarily this time.
But in the face of the Duke of St. Grian, Colin will definitely not give in easily. At least he should go to the church to put pressure on him to see if he can squeeze out more things, so he insisted:
"My lord, of course I don't want to see the empire collapse, but these two conditions are indeed the bottom line of the northern border. Even if I want to agree to you, the northerners may not agree. So, I think you might as well go Ask at the church, maybe..."
"Gregory will not agree to your terms..."
"I didn't say Gregory," Colin hinted.
The Duke of St. Grian immediately understood what Colin meant, knowing that this was encouraging her to provoke a struggle within the church, but after thinking for a moment, she still frowned tightly, shaking her head and said:
"No, no matter what, as long as Gregory abdicates, it will inevitably lead to civil strife. This risk is too great for the current empire to bear."
She looked into Colin's eyes seriously, and continued with a sincere expression: "I can help you negotiate the conditions for the independence of the Northern Diocese, but Gregory's abdication... This is absolutely impossible, at least under the current situation, is impossible.
If you believe me, I can solemnly promise you that after defeating the Orc Empire, I can join hands with the Northern Territory and come to liquidate Gregory! "
Colin's expression was shocked, and he was already a little moved by Duke St. Grian's proposal.
And to be honest, reaching a settlement first and liquidating Gregory after the war is the safest course of action. It is indeed reckless to drive the Pope to a dead end now.
But he still pretended to be entangled for a while, as if he had experienced a fierce ideological struggle, finally gritted his teeth and said:
"My lord, your sincerity really touched me. However, I still hope that Gregory should at least make a public apology for his wrong behavior, so that I can give an account to the northerners."
"A public apology?" Duke St. Grian's beautiful sword eyebrows frowned again, as if he had a headache for Colin's request, and then she said helplessly, "I can only say that this condition is to try my best to help you, but I can't. promise you something."
"I understand." Colin also smiled, and said haha, "However, I also hope that you can understand that the person in charge of the northern border is not me, so it was just my personal intention just now, and it is not Not a promise from the North."
Duke St. Grian laughed and said, "Count Angelet, do you know why I came to you instead of Marquis Garcia?"
"Why?"
"Because in my eyes, you are the most suitable person to take charge of the northern border." Seeing that Colin frowned, Duke St. Grian explained, "Don't get me wrong, I didn't mean to provoke. Although Xi Ya is amazing and talented on the battlefield, he seems a little immature in politics, blindly tough and ignorant of flexibility, if he is really allowed to take charge of the northern border, hehe... "
Having said that, Duke St. Grian stood up, waved to Colin, and said:
"Okay, I won't say much else, just wait for my good news. I also hope that you can persuade the northern lords, especially Marquis Garcia, not to let them mess around during this period of time."
"I'll do my best." Colin nodded.
Duke St. Grian walked a few steps, but stopped beside Anna, and suddenly leaned over to whisper something in her ear.
Colin just wanted to "possess" Anna and listen to what Duke St. Grian said, but when he shifted his consciousness there, he found that Duke St. Grian had finished speaking.
Although he was full of curiosity, Colin couldn't ask clearly, and after Anna became a blood slave, she naturally couldn't tell Duke St. Grian's words.
So, Colin had no choice but to watch Duke St. Grian leave with infinite doubts.
(end of this chapter)