"Who wants to see me?" Benjamin asked immediately.
"This... I don't know, but the other party seems to have a lot of background. There are many people protecting him, and he wants to see you by name." The servant hesitated for a moment, then replied, "They are over there in the side restaurant now. If you want, you can go Let’s meet.”
Benjamin was a little helpless, but still nodded.
"Okay, I'll go meet them."
Although he didn't know who it was, after listening to the servant's description, he actually had a guess in his mind.
It can't really be him...
With some complicated emotions, Benjamin walked through the corridor of the palace and came to the side restaurant. There were many people sitting in the usually deserted restaurant at the moment. The man standing by the window turned around and smiled twice at Benjamin.
He is the king of Carites.
"Master Benjamin, long time no see." He came over, patted Benjamin on the shoulder and said.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
Benjamin also smiled and nodded.
Who else could it be? The news that he is now in Regina has not been announced to the world. Not many people know that he is here. Only the two messengers who were pushed back by him a few days ago know the situation.
Coupled with the current complicated situation in Ikol, the king's sudden visit was actually quite expected.
—No doubt he came for the inheritance.
"In a few months, you have once again changed the situation of a country. It is really... unsurprising." The king looked at Benjamin again, was silent for a moment, and said, "Scarlett's attack on the academy, we I have heard about it all. I want to know what is going on with her now, is she alive or dead? For the sake of past friendship, don’t use the same words you use to deal with the envoy against me."
Benjamin sighed after hearing this.
It's this kind of scene that I'm afraid of...
When he was in Carites, although he said he had made a deal with the king to help him drive away the church, they still had some friendship. But now, the king comes over and begs him about Ikol, which will indeed put him in a bit of a dilemma.
But in the end, he still chose to stand on the same side as the president.
"...The Queen is very ill and no one knows whether she will survive."
The king suddenly looked disappointed.
"you do not believe me."
Benjamin spread his hands helplessly: "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I am not the leader in this matter. As the president of the Mages Guild that currently manages Icol, I am just a temporary outsider."
"So... what do you think are the chances of the two countries reuniting if I accept Ikol's offer?" the king asked again.
Benjamin shrugged, indicating that he knew nothing.
But in fact, the real answer in his mind is zero.
Helping Carrites take over Icor might further cement his friendly relationship with Carrites, but... their relationship was good enough. As an independent international mage organization, it is not a good thing to get too close to any country.
Moreover, with the king's ability, Benjamin would never rest assured if this land directly bordering the Horli Kingdom was handed over to him for management.
Seeing this, the king shook his head and suddenly waved to the guards around him, signaling them to leave. The guards hesitated for a moment, seeming a little worried, but after the king's repeated urging, they still walked out of the restaurant door.
In the end, he and Benjamin were the only two people left in the restaurant.
"You should understand the importance of this matter to me, right?" The king sighed and said, "Freden said that the princess was in charge, but in fact? That old guy Stewart had already controlled the entire country. I can’t let Ikol fall into his hands again.”
Benjamin replied: "Icol's ownership will definitely not fall into his hands."
General Stewart's ambitions are not small. Once he takes over Icol and his power expands, the next step will definitely be to annex Carrites. And organizations like the Magic Academy still need to check and balance the forces of all parties in order to survive better.
Therefore, he had no reason to give benefits to Frieden.
"So...has Scarlett been imprisoned by you now?" The king hesitated for a moment and asked.
Benjamin was helpless and finally answered the question with a nod.
"What are you going to do?" The king looked very nervous. "The people have to recognize the blood of the royal family. It is impossible for you to randomly find someone to be the king. And Scarlett is not someone who is willing to be a puppet."
Benjamin said nothing, and finally shook his head in silence.
This is probably the tricky part about Ikol.
It is impossible for their group of mages to rule Ikol, and even indirect rule is a very difficult thing. Ruling a country requires a lot of hard work and time, and mages need a lot of time to study magic and meditate. At the same time, it is difficult for the mage's rule to gain public support.
The church's rule over the Kingdom of Hori is the best way to implement it, but the problem is that they don't have a suitable puppet candidate. And even if they find it... their relationship with Freden and Carites will probably deteriorate.
-The fact that the king came all the way here shows his desire for Ikol, and the same must be true for Freden.
There are no permanent friends. Even if they can still talk one-on-one with trust now, once the situation changes, no one knows where they will go.
Finally, after this secret visit, the king quietly left the palace with his guards. His expression as he left was one of disappointment. Perhaps it was also at this time that he realized that from the moment Carites was driven away from the church, he and Benjamin were destined to not be able to fight side by side as before without any suspicion.
Position determines everything.
Benjamin also came to the hall of the palace to meet with the president who held the same position.
"... With the eldest prince's lazy character, he is actually willing to rush to the palace in person. He must trust you very much." The president raised his head from the document and said.
Benjamin smiled and said nothing, then asked: "How is the situation now?"
"Ecol has stabilized for the time being, and I have also stepped up defenses at the national border. Once there is any trouble in the church, we will be able to detect it immediately." The president replied, "It's just... the rumors in the country have become more and more serious. .”
"What rumor?"
The president shook his head and said, "That's not all. The mages usurped the throne, the academy's conspiracy, and the rumors that the queen is dead... If the queen doesn't show up, I'm afraid there will be riots everywhere."
Benjamin frowned: "We cannot let the Queen return to the position of ruler, even as a puppet, she will definitely try her best to retaliate against us."
"Yes..." the president sighed and said, "However, since the eldest prince trusts you so much, under your influence, he may be able to give the mage a more relaxed and free environment."
"You mean, you want Icor to be merged into Carrites?"
The president nodded.
"When the empire split, I actually had something to do with it. If I had not chosen to support the queen, nothing like today might have happened. The empire would still be the same empire, Frieden, Icol, Carites... these The state would never have existed in the first place.”
When Benjamin heard this, he shook his head helplessly.
The president's personal bias is too strong. He liberated the Mages Guild before just to redeem his original mistake, but now, he seems to have the same mentality again.
"This has nothing to do with you. You don't need to atone for this." Benjamin immediately advised, "The deal is done. No matter what you do, the former empire has long ceased to exist. What's more important is the enemy we will face in the future."
The president was silent for a while and said: "But other than that, we have no other choice. The queen has no descendants and no other living relatives. Either give Icol to Freden or give it to Kari Tes, or simply return it to Her Majesty the Queen, what else can we do?”
Hearing this, Benjamin also lowered his head and fell into deep thought. After a moment, he suddenly raised his head: "... We can do this."