The Chronicles of the Mysterious Alchemist: The Chronicles of the Mysterious Alchemist, #3

By Wesley Wang

He accidentally traveled to a brand new world, where he discovered some pathogens that had long disappeared in human history, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. With his profound knowledge and technology in modern biochemistry, he began to exert influence in this world. He made up his mind to help those who were ostracized by society, possessed special abilities but were called "Mutants." These people were isolated and discriminated against because of their unique abilities. Through his efforts, he established a powerful group composed of marginalized individuals—the Mutant Knights. They not only bravely confronted the old feudal system and hostile forces but also fought for equality and respect for the mutants. The establishment and efforts of this team gradually changed society's view of people with special abilities and led a profound social transformation.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wesley Wang
• Release date: May 11, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224271795

Book preview

Chapter 1

Turning his eyes to Alfonso, who was in charge of defense and training, Ethan inquired, What is the size of the kingdom’s army now?

Alfonso, who was not wearing a helmet, let the parasitic limbs on top of his head stretch and flutter as he picked up a document and read aloud, After the knight enshrinement ceremony, the Knights of Twilight West added a total of 116 new knights, forming an integrated knight unit with the original knights; we also have 451 non-commissioned officers, which is enough to form a heavy infantry regiment, a light cavalry unit, and a bow cavalry unit; if Your Majesty initiates an emergency, you will be able to form an army of heavy infantry, light cavalry, and a Bow Cavalry Union; and if Your Majesty launches an emergency mobilization order, we can also enlist about 1,100 peasants.

Ethan jotted down the numbers and looked at Ruichier again, What about the Fae army and configuration?

As there was no need to hide her identity anymore, Ruichier took off her wide nun’s robe and replaced it with a grass-green ceremonial dress, she looked at the superior king and slowly said, The farming of 『Dragon Bones』has basically been able to satisfy all the knights, as for the army’s fae abilities, in addition to the currently existing charge class 『Knight Successor』, melee class 『Warrior Successor』and Scout Successor’.We have recently formed two experimental Fae combat teams ……

One is the ‘Crossbow Successor’, these Fae with ‘Eagle Eyes’, ‘Granite’, ‘Strength Enhancement’, ‘Precision Enhancement’, and ‘Light Focusing’ can carry a 60 kilograms These fae with ‘Eagle Eyes’, ‘Rock’, ‘Strength Enhancement’, ‘Precision Enhancement’ and ‘Light Focusing’ can carry a 60 kilograms special crossbow on their backs and move with the army. When the war begins, they will occupy favorable terrain, set up their small crossbows, and look for commanders and leaders among the enemy’s troops, employing the 『Gathering Light』 fae ability to calibrate the gun line, followed by adjusting it according to the ballistic scale dispensed by the Twilight West Academy, and finally sniping the target.

The other is the ‘Elemental Successors’, who generally possess elemental-based psychic abilities such as ‘Grease’, ‘Wind Pressure’, ‘Inflammatory Breath’, and ‘Soil Liquefaction’. When melee troops are engaged, archers and other long-range attacking troops often choose to stop attacking for fear of being mistakenly injured. This is not the case with them, crossing over the heads of our soldiers, or from the feet of our troops, they use their powers to directly attack the enemy in the engagement and give our soldiers a certain advantage.

Ethan nodded and focused his attention on Mary.

Even after taking off that palace dress, this woman who was once a noble queen was the most special presence in the entire council hall, regardless of her appearance, mannerisms, and temperament. Ruichier, who had just finished his speech, glanced at Mary with a complicated expression.

Thanks to the help of the monks, fae and academies, and thanks to the invention of cement and concrete, the construction of the Twilight West Cathedral is progressing very smoothly, and the main foundation and load-bearing pillars have been basically completed, and minus the upcoming cold winter period, it is expected that the cathedral will be officially completed in May next year. 陛……陛下……嘴中突然说到这个词，Mary忽然想起了一些事情，发言一滞：About the cathedral, there is one thing that I hope to ask for yourconsent ……

Ethan nodded slightly, signaling but say no harm.

Regarding the frescoes and topiary paintings of the cathedral, a former student who was a member of the Royal Academy of the Papal States wishes to collaborate with his friend on these paintings.

Ethan asked with considerable interest, Shouldn’t the old painters be hired for the frescoes in the church? Will the student’s painting skills be able to fulfill the requirements?

Mary said in an affirmative tone, Although this student named Elijah is not yet thirty years old, he has been called a genius by his teachers and classmates in the fields of architecture, physics, natural science, and painting. I think he is fully capable of undertaking this task, so I hereby recommend him to you.

Ruichier, seemingly absently curling her hair with her fingers, glanced at Mary when she heard her say the word 『recommendation』, sank her head down, and gently tugged on her hair.

When Ethan heard Mary’s words, he was about to ask for a meeting with Elijah, who was called a ‘genius’, but on second thought, he still intended to see if this student really had real talent: Let’s do it this way, leave the frescoes and roof painting of the cathedral to Elijah and his friends. On the day of completion, I will personally go and view their masterpiece.

Watching Ethan turn his face in other directions, Mary sat back in her seat with some disappointment

Joe, it’s your turn to talk.I would like to ask, Twilight West Town now ……

『Hmmmm!

Before Ethan could finish his sentence, Cumberland coughed mid-sentence.

The former rolled his eyes and continued, How is the planning as well as the building of the …… Kingdom now?

Friar Joe stood up and saluted, Your Majesty, the registered population of Twilight West City, stands at 11,287, and if we count the refugees and travelers in the surrounding area who do not have a resident status, Twilight West City’s population may exceed twenty-five thousand. The city area now expands to twenty-one square kilometers and is divided into three main areas, the Inner Circle, the Middle Circle, and the Outer Circle.

The inner circle is the core area of the kingdom, where the commercial, administrative, and military centers are located; the middle ring is the main gathering place for the residents, including the port area, residential area, living area, entertainment area, and so on; and the outer ring is the gathering place for production and processing, including industry, agriculture, handicrafts, and animal husbandry, and so on. And now, outside of the outer ring, there was an unnoticed area in Murexi City, generally called the 『immigration area』. The war refugees and tourists who came from all directions were not eligible to be registered as residents as they did not have the money to buy real estate in Murexi City. They secretly add shacks and earth huts outside the city, enter within Twilight West City during the day to look for work, and then leave the city at night to go home and rest, and the management of these people might be a hidden danger for the kingdom.

Ethan gently tapped his fingers on the wood of the armrest, pondering in his mind the question posed by the monk. No matter what kind of dynasty or what kind of country, the handling of the poor was always a thorny issue. How could one digest and expand the population edge of the kingdom was indeed a daunting challenge for the king.

Joe continued, Since the beginning of the year, Murexi City has constructed commercial buildings such as the Great Market and the Exchange, cultural buildings such as the Theater, the Open Stage, and the Great Plaza of Literature, educational buildings such as the Printing House, Murexi Academy, and the Library, and military buildings such as the Knights Order’s headquarters, the Training Ground, and the Quartermaster’s Depot.

In the future, according to the city’s plan, a three-kilometer-long water diversion canal will first be constructed, with the water source coming from the Falling Star Mountain Range. Once completed, it will solve the drinking water problem of the city’s tens of thousands of people without having to compete for the few and far between wells; followed by the harbor and shipyard, and speaking of which, I wish to extend my gratitude to the Valkyries of the Northern Islands.

Ethan was a bit puzzled, Why do we need to thank the Valkyries of the Northern Isles for building the harbor and shipyards?

It is because Twilight West City has accepted the Valkyries that those North Islanders are willing to give up all of their shipbuilding techniques and harbor construction techniques. Your Majesty, when it comes to shipbuilding, we, who haven’t been in contact with the sea for a long time, have fallen far behind other countries, and this time, thanks to the good offices of the Valkyries, the North Islanders were willing to help us build a harbor and shipyard so readily.

Howard, who was sitting at the bottom of the table, also said towards Ethan at this time, The leader of the Valkyries - Brenshild - also expressed to me that she wishes to participate in the next battle. In her own words, if she continues to be idle like this, her body will rust and rot along with her sword.

Ethan smiled, the tall, heroic, and beautiful silver-haired woman appearing before him

Finally we plan to build a stadium that can be used by the residents during the week. With those words, Joe sat back down, only to find Ethan looking at himself, with no intention of averting his gaze.

The friar stammered a little, Your Majesty …… why are you …… looking at me …… like that?

Ethan rubbed his temples with his hands and said with a headache, I had asked you to construct a building in the past, and at that time, the plan was temporarily shelved due to a lack of funds, so why don’t you start it now?!

The friar scratched the top of his head, and after a moment it dawned on him, Oh! You’re talking about the …… public bathhouse!

That’s right! Tell me, Joe, how long has it been since you’ve had a bath?!

Hearing Ethan’s questioning, the friar blurted out, Three weeks, and a couple more days of sticking it out, and it’ll be a month!

Seeing the smug look on the guy’s face, Ethan really wanted to take off his size thirty-eight shoes, barf, and slap the other guy’s size forty-two face!

Build the diversion canal first, then the public baths! Do you hear me?! Ethan gave a rare look of exasperation, and slapped the armrest hard.

Friar Joe shrunk his head, As you wish, Your Majesty.

Ethan retracted his gaze and looked around at the people in the council chamber again, realizing that Southern Scholar Kennedy was not listed.

Kennedy’s status was special, being both the son of a nobleman of the Southern Empire and a pagan follower of the Religious War, Ethan was inconvenient to allow him to hold a kingdom position or attend the meeting even though he was the king

If you have nothing more to report, then go about your business individually. Ethan waved his hand and stood up from his throne. With a crowd of people watching, he walked to the curtained tent at the back of the hall, grimacing as he rubbed, hard, his ass and thighs, which had long since gone numb, while the cloth of the enclosure cut off his view.

Chapter 2

The candle flame was withered and dim, and the shadows were silent.

Holding a scroll in her hand, Queen Mary sat at the table in the back room of the church, looking at the sparks from the candles, staring blankly.

Twilight West Church, the earliest building in town, no longer has the grandeur of the original gathering of believers. On the day of mass, this small church was no longer the first choice of the residents, and people would more often go to the worship hall that was open to the public at the Knights’ headquarters, in order to just be closer to the Holy Son.

Therefore, the only person who stayed in the church was Queen Mary, except for a few coarse ambassadors sent by Cumberland.

Putting down the books in her hands that she had already memorized backwards, Mary turned back to look at the sketches and drawings that filled the walls. Some of them were paintings of famous artists copied with her 『Super Memory』 powers, while others were original drawings of clothing or architectural designs.

The cold wind of late fall followed the gaps in the room and drilled into the small space, blowing the candle flame brightly and dimly, Mary shivered and had to stretch out her hand to protect the flame.

Once the flame was straight up again, she glanced at the reddish frost marks on her hand and then back at the furnishings of the room. The worn wooden bed, the rickety closet, the bookshelves that were leaning hard.

When she escaped from Silver Ring City, the jewelry Mary carried with her had already been pawned, plus the weekly 『salary』 paid by the Knights, according to reason, even if it was not considered to be a great wealth, this amount of money was enough to feed and clothe herself. However, accustomed to the court life, her requirements for the use of the money, has far exceeded the general ability to bear, life for her, more like a kind of afterlife training.

The knock on the door slowly sounded.

A touch of joy appeared on Mary’s face, the long awaited visitor had finally arrived.

Your Majesty the Queen, I’m back!

A clear and pleasant voice came first, then the hood on the gray cloak was lifted, and a skilled face appeared in front of Mary.

The joy of a long time reunion made the Queen unload her usual heart defense, and embraced the woman in front of her, choking in a small voice: Kathy, to be able to see you again is the best gift given to me by Heavenly Father!

As Queen Mary’s former personal maid, Kathy was a bit overwhelmed by this never-before-experienced contact, Your Majesty the Queen ……

Don’t call me Your Majesty the Queen anymore, I no longer have anything to do with that kingdom. Mary pulled Kathy to sit on the edge of the bed and looked at the other woman hopefully and asked, How is it going with what I asked you to do in the letter?

Kathy took off her cloak and looked at Mary beside her, tilting her body to sit away slightly, As you said, quite a few people in Silver Ring City have expressed their willingness to defect.

Mary nodded slightly, The situation within Silver Ring City …… is not good, is it?

Kathy pursed her lips, More than bad, in order to show ‘friendliness’ to our allies, the council agreed to admit the barbarian army into the city.Those barbarians from the north, they do whatever they think of in the city, and the residents are suffering terribly …… By the way, would you like to know the recent situation of His Majesty Gai ……

Hearing this familiar name, Mary froze for a good After a while, she reacted to the fact that this man was her husband, No…… from the moment I left Silver Ring City, that man had already walked out of my world. For so many years, I put all my feelings on him, using luxury and wealth to gain a ridiculous sense of security.At the end of the day, when I had one foot on the guillotine, I realized the sad truth that a woman with no ego and no power is nothing more than a plaything to be had and not to be had ……

Your Majesty, the Queen. …Mary’s eyes flickered with something Kathy couldn’t understand, and the latter shrank her body back once again, What do you intend to do?

Mary dropped her eyes to the wall paintings and said slowly under her breath, Kathy, you know what? I once heard someone say in the past that after experiencing a near-death experience, people would cherish their lives even more. Having already died once, I long to get rid of that muddled life and find a reason for my future existence.

Mary stretched out her right hand and gently stroked the sketch of the 『Murexi Cathedral』 on the wall, The era of the Silver Ring has come to an end, and the stage of the Murexi is rising……

---

Ethan, who had finished reviewing the government files and walked out of the kingdom’s council hall, shivered in a biting wind, and when he looked up to the sky, a fluttering snowflake landed on the tip of his nose.

Touching his hand to his nose, Ethan only touched some water stains.

Today was December 3rd of the 1171st year of the Church’s calendar, and the onset of winter signaled that the year was coming to an end.

Ethan looked at the tiny snow particles in the air, and his thoughts flew back to the day when he first came to the Otherworld.

Two years ago, that snowy night, a cold cabin, a teenager’s body, and the cellar where the copper pipes were stored, he even counted the remnants of his life by the hour.

A year ago, in a church on a snowy night, the Order was faced with a life-or-death situation, whether to choose to die like a hero or to gasp like a coward, and he finally made a decision to put his life on

And now, Ethan lowered his head and looked at this holy robe on his body, which was rushed by dozens of weavers all night long, with endless emotions in his heart. King, he had never dreamed that he would become the monarch of a country like this.

Your Majesty!

Howard came from the other end of the long corridor holding the paperwork, walked up to Ethan, and bowed.

Ethan looked to this knight who had followed him since he first came to the Otherworld and nodded as he remembered the past times.

Your Majesty, the registration and ranking of the residents in the town is almost over, here are the results after all the counting. Howard handed a piece of paper filled with writing to Ethan and continued, Recently there is a strange thing in Twilight West Town.

Ethan looked at the paper in his hand and looked down, What strange thing?

Howard scratched the back of his head, The streets of Twilight West City have seen a lot more scholars in recent days, they come from various countries and work in different industries. I sent out my men and followed them, these people gather here and don’t do anything overly aggressive, they just look around and hold an occasional gathering or two.

Ethan took his eyes off the paper, Scholars?

I compared the identities of these people and found a common thread, all of these people were once students of the Royal Academy of Tairo.

Hearing Howard’s words, Ethan remembered the ‘special guest’ that Tristan had sent a few months ago, Do you suspect that these people are related to Terence?

There is no evidence. Howard spread his hands, And there is no unusual behavior from these people, Your Majesty, do you need me to send someone to warn them?

Ethan thought about it and shook his head, Don’t bother to alarm them, keep an eye on these people.

Chapter 3

Early the next morning, Ethan had just awakened from a deep sleep when Howard knocked urgently on the door of his room and brought him bad news.

It was during the early hours of this morning that a riot had broken out, sparked by immigrants from outside the city

The cause of the incident was not complicated.

A few months ago, a fleeing merchant from Silver Ring City, in order to escape the war, brought his only family member, his young and beautiful daughter, to settle down outside the city of Twilight West. They met a handsome young weaver and dyer in the ‘immigrant district’, and after the two families became acquainted with each other, the two marriageable youths were engaged to be married.

Soon after, however, the merchant met a spice store owner in the city. The latter was a widower, over sixty years old and widowed in middle age, and during one of his visits, he took a liking to the merchant’s daughter and wished to take her as his wife.

The merchant had explained his daughter’s engagement and politely refused the widower’s request. However, the owner of a spice store, who coveted his daughter’s beauty, offered him a ‘guarantor’ and ‘a place to live’, which made the merchant’s heart waver and make him hesitate.

At this point, we have to talk about the threshold of settlement in Kurenai City.

Considering the infiltration of spies and the management of the city, Ethan put forward two conditions for recognizing the status of residents of Murexi City - 『Protection』 and 『Supporting Residence』. First, any outsider who wanted to become a resident of Murexi City had to find a resident of the city to act as a guarantor, and provide a detailed life history and past experiences for record and review; second, residents of Murexi City had to own independent property, i.e., a fixed residence, which had to be purchased by the resident himself, or by his immediate family members.

Only after satisfying the above two conditions at the same time would outsiders be eligible to become official residents of Murexi Town and enjoy civic rights and interests such as tax exemption, education, and grievances.

For the merchant, leaving the filthy deep pit of the 『Immigration Zone』 and officially becoming a member of the 『Land of Miracles - Twilight West Town』 was a dream he wanted to realize Whether to repent or to keep his promise became a difficult decision in front of him.

After a mental struggle, the merchant finally chose the former. Accepting the old shopkeeper’s gift and signing the paperwork for the second marriage contract, the profit-minded man planned to take advantage of the dead of night to bring his daughter and secretly move into Twilight West City.

Everything was still going well, but he forgot only one thing.

After his daughter learned of her father’s decision, she ran out of the house in the middle of the night, found her fiancé, and stated the whole story.

Enraged, the young man sought out his brothers and sisters of the same clan and blocked the merchants who were moving to demand an explanation

While the 『immigrant district』 was in an uproar, the old widower who hadn’t seen a beautiful woman for a long time couldn’t sit still, and with his family and apprentices, he went out of the city and happened to meet all of the above.

The enemies of love met and fought each other.

The fight lasted until the Twilight West City vigilantes intervened.

Faced with the residents’ and immigrants’ respective arguments, the vigilantes, who had no favoritism towards the latter, made a sentence that was clearly biased in favor of the widower, and they demanded that the merchant’s daughter execute the second marriage contract immediately. This act completely ignited the fuse of the ‘powder keg’.

What started out as a clash between a few people and the vigilantes turned into a rapidly spreading chaos. The anger and bitterness that had long been pent up in the hearts of the immigrants was like a volcano erupting, sweeping across the entire ‘immigrant area’. Hundreds of people, shouting about injustice and oppression, took up their weapons and defeated the security forces, attacking the city of Murexi, and even occupying some of the buildings in the outer ring of the city at one point.

When news of the riot reached the camp of the Knights of Twilight West, and with no time to ask the King for instructions, Cumberland made a snap decision, inviting Alfonso and Friar Joe as governors to avoid suspicion on the one hand, and mobilizing the Regulars and the Fae Combat Regiment on the other hand, to contain the onslaught of the rioters and to carry out a decisive killing spree.

By the time Howard reported the incident to Ethan, five full hours had passed since the riot

Casualties? Waving off the attendants, Ethan removed his robes and dressed himself, his voice low and terrifying.

Howard stood in the doorway of his chambers, his head lowered as he looked at the report in his hands, Knights Regulars, two seriously injured; Twilight West Vigilantes, thirteen dead, seven seriously injured; City residents, six dead, twenty-two seriously injured; Shops and residences burned and vandalized, more than fifteen, with a loss of nearly six thousand Silver Moons.

Ethan buttoned up the last button and looked up at Howard, What about casualties in the ‘immigrant district’?

The latter was a bit surprised by the question and hung his head, The exact number has not yet been counted, but according to the visual inspection of the 『Scouting Line Successor』, the dead are expected to be more than one hundred and ninety.

Ethan took the ceremonial short sword from the table and hung it on his waist, walking past Howard’s side, his voice couldn’t be heard with any emotion, Have the monks do their best to rescue the injured, and notify the holy treasury to prepare food and warmth to ensure that the losses don’t expand any further. In addition, notify all the officials of the kingdom to hand over the affairs in hand and hold a meeting in the council hall in two hours.

---

9:30 a.m., Grand Council Hall, Order Headquarters.

Ethan sits on his high throne, resting his right cheek and loo

At the long table below him, the senior officials of Twilight West, who had been formally ordained by the king, sat in their chairs, no one spoke, and the air was so quiet that one could only hear the sound of burning firewood in the fire pit

After a while, Ethan opened his mouth to break the silence, Have the supplies for the Holy Vault Relief been distributed?

Queen Mary stood up and glanced up at the upper seat, the seriousness of Ethan’s face, which she had never seen before, caused her to have a brief moment of disorientation, Victims have been counted and suppliers contacted, the catechumens and the Order of the Faithful are now distributing food and blankets.

Ethan nodded and shifted his attention to Cumberland, How are the rioters doing now?

The old knight stood up and saluted towards the king, There are about eight hundred and seventy people involved in the riot. In front of the bows and shield walls, these rioters are as well-behaved as rabbits, the sergeants are identifying the dead and counting their crimes.

Ethan asks again, The source of this riot, the merchant’s family, the young miller, and the old widower, have you found them yet?

Cumberland nodded, Please rest assured, Your Majesty, they are the ones primarily responsible for this incident and have been imprisoned by the military.

Ethan leaned his body backward and leaned on the back of the throne’s chair, exhaling a cloudy breath, This riot is a wake-up call for the Kingdom of Twilight West, our enemies don’t only come from the outside, the handling of internal conflicts is equally important.

Hearing the king refer to the conflicts between immigrants and residents as 『internal conflicts』, Ruichier was a bit surprised, but after some careful thought, she understood the deeper meaning of this statement.

Ethan patted the armrest of the throne with his hand, looked at the kingdom’s officials, and slowly said, How should this riot be handled? How can we prevent similar incidents? Tell me all, I want to hear your opinions.

The people at the long table looked at each other in disbelief, all of them acknowledging each other’s expressions and movements, and for quite some time no one spoke.

Just as Ethan was about to say something more, someone he hadn’t expected, stood up.

Queen Mary bent down and bowed, and under everyone’s gaze, she spoke, Your Majesty, in my opinion, there is one thing that should be perfected first at the beginning of the establishment of the Kingdom of Twilight West.

Ethan nodded his head to signal her to

Queen Mary took out a thin booklet from her bosom and gently held it in her hands, Your Majesty, this book I’m holding is the laws of Murexi City, a total of one hundred and seventy-eight clauses, totaling more than three thousand words.

After placing the booklet on the table, Mary took out another nine books as thick as bricks from the traveling bag at her feet and placed them in front of her, These are the secular laws of the Papal States, which contain fifteen categories, five thousand nine hundred and forty-four clauses, and a total of one hundred and seventy-nine thousand three hundred and seventy-five words.

Ethan looked at the two contrasting legal documents on the desktop and pondered.

Queen Mary, who possessed the ability of ‘Super Memory’, pointed at the book in front of her and narrated, The cause of this riot was the ruling of the double marriage contract, if the security team had referred to Tairo’s ‘Civil Code’, Article 126, ‘The sacred marriage of the Heavenly Father’s followers is inviolable, and the validity of the marriage contract is determined in accordance with the order of the followers’ contract’, Then this riot would not have happened.In contrast, the lack of law in Twilight West City and the unprofessionalism of the law enforcement officers sowed the seeds of this disaster. ……

Ethan leaned forward, listening to this beautiful woman’s analysis while nodding his head and asking, So in your opinion, what should do?

Queen Mary crossed her arms and placed them on the small of her back, her eyes looked downwards, and she quietly said, Your Majesty, I suggest. One, expand and enact the Laws of the Twilight West to ensure that the laws of the kingdom can bring order and peace to our people; two, set up courts and recruit scholars, so that the enforcement and adjudication of daily matters will be handled by professionals.

Ethan looked at Mary and tried to ask, What about candidates? Do you have a recommendation?

Knight Dion was born in a family of jurisprudence, he and his fellow students, can take on the work of law making;as for the establishment of the court, we can openly recruit and invite those capable scholars to work for Twilight West City ……

Before Queen Mary could finish her words , a voice interrupted her.

I object!

Ethan followed the voice and another unexpected figure, entered his sight.

Ruichier’s face was stony, his brows knitted together, and his eyes looking at Mary were as cold as ice.

Cumberland raised his eyebrows, first glancing at the two women sitting on either side of the long table, then darting a glance at the king whose face was full of doubt, before finally closing his eyes and sighing.

The faction dispute in the Twilight West Kingdom had gradually moved from underground to above the table.

Chapter 4

Ms. Ruichier, I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean? Mary’s folded hands, propped up on the desktop, the expression on her face inexplicably reminded Ethan, of the Queen’s unforgettable pride and loneliness when he first met with her.

If it were an ordinary person, when faced with such an aura, not to mention a tit-for-tat, one would have to be a trifle weaker to even speak.

But her opponent was different.

Ruichier, this woman with a mysterious background who had once been a member of the 『Strife Legion』, looked at the people around her, looked at the snow flying outside the hall and said, If I remember correctly, at this time last year, the Twilight West Knights were still in a life and death dilemma. ……

Although it is not clear why this green-clothed woman on the opposite side would mention last year’s winter, Mary, who secretly has a bad premonition, sank her face and beat up her spirit.

Some stayed behind to defend the honor of the Order with their lives, and some chose to evacuate after the war began, those days were the most difficult and dangerous time in the Kingdom of Twilight West …… Ruichier’s words came to this point, and many people in the hall revealed a heartfelt looks, the woman’s words changed, The achievements of the Murexi Kingdom today come from the efforts of all of you here, so how can we just find a few so-called 『scholars』 to formulate and enforce their 『so-called laws』 to bind and govern us?

Seeing that the monks led by Joe had revealed a look of approval, Mary blanched, exchanged a quick glance with Ulysses, and spoke, Then do you mean to abandon the law? To decide and judge the rights and wrongs of all things in the kingdom based solely on the will and preferences of individuals?

I object to those scholars who have no merit and are new to the kingdom taking on the responsibility of legislating, judging and enforcing the laws of the Twilight Kingdom, they are not qualified enough and do not have the authority to do so! Ruichier aimed his spear at the scholars’ qualifications and abilities.

When it came to intelligence, Mary and Ruichier were on par with each other;but if it came to eloquence, how could a queen who had long been hidden in the deep palace compare to a fae who had long mediated between 『Cannibalistic Beasts』?

Mary slapped the table hard, and her voice unconsciously raised three times: ‘’If this country has no laws, no rulings, sooner or later, we will encounter a ’riot’ like today’s again! At that time, who should we look to to judge right and wrong?!"

The supreme ruler of the Kurenai Kingdom - Saint Son-sama! Ruichier’s eyes grew colder and colder as he looked at Mary, He has led the Murexi Kingdom to slowly grow stronger, and we are all his subjects. Are you more willing to believe a few scholars full of theories and choose to doubt our king? Please remember! In the city of Twilight West, Lord Ethan is the law!

Mary froze, her hand hanging in midair.

The King above all else?

She remembered everything from her past, when her husband, the King of the Silver Ring, had signed her own confession with his own hand, almost mercilessly There was a word in her throat that she couldn’t get out - ‘Are all the king’s decisions right?’ , but remembering Twilight Westside and Ethan, that sentence was swallowed hard back into her throat.

And Ethan, who was high on the throne, frowned tightly. Hearing this now, even the stupidest person could see what was happening here.

The crowd in the council hall was divided into three factions: the academy faction, the fae faction, and the neutral faction.

The Academy Faction, led by Queen Mary, was mainly composed of Tairo City students as well as scholars, who were the backbone of Twilight West City’s science and technology, research, education, literature, and art. At a time when all other countries put religion above truth, the emergence of the Kingdom of Murexi was as precious to the academics as rain in a long drought. However, even though this force has been gradually getting bigger, they don’t have many seats in the kingdom’s top echelons, which is why they are urgently asking for a higher political status.

The Fae Faction led by Ruichier was in charge of the industry, logistics and ethnic groups of the Twilight West Kingdom. They shared common interests and far-reaching visions, and the Twilight West Kingdom was a shelter and the last home for them, unity was their motto, and any force that could potentially shake the fae’s position was the object of their vigilance. This time, Mary joins hands with the academy faction, using the enactment of laws and the establishment of courts as a lead-in to gain power, which just touches the taboo of the fae faction.

As for the likes of Cumberland, Howard, Friar Joe and Kennedy, they are attached and loyal to Ethan, the Neutral faction.

At this point Mary rearranged her thoughts and asked Ruichier again, I would like to ask a question, if there are no specialized personnel to legislate, administer justice and enforce the law, and if we rely on His Majesty alone, how will he have the time to manage everything with his busy daily schedule?

Ruichier straightened his back, Firstly, His Majesty’s will is the law of the Kingdom of Murexi, and those scholars’ proposal of 『Law overrides everything』 is a claim to power! It is conspiracy! It deserves to be severely punished! Second, when it comes to legislation, justice and law enforcement, Your Majesty only needs to grasp the direction of law making, as for the supervision and enforcement of the law, all of it can be practiced by the army and the fae.

Mary’s eyes widened, Allowing the army and fae to administer justice and enforce the law? Do you realize what you are actually saying?

The full name of the Kingdom of Twilight West is the Kingdom of the Knights of Twilight West, which means that ours is a centralized military state, and in times of war we are required to use military force to fulfill the will of the King, rather than tying our hands with the cords of the law. Ruichier glanced at Cumberland and said slowly, His Majesty will be responsible for assembling the wise men and women to change the laws, the military will be responsible for enforcing the laws in accordance with the King’s will, and the Fae will be tasked with overseeing and reporting back.

Mary listened carefully to Ruichier’s statement and suddenly grasped the crux of a question, When you say that the Fae can take on the job of monitoring and reporting, how can you ensure that the army’s actions are legal? How can you ensure that every piece of information that His Majesty can get, is true?

The latter smiled and said, The ‘Hive’ Fae ability allows the ‘Successors’ to share information and thoughts amongst themselves. When the army enforces the law, the fae in charge of justice can monitor the army’s every move and make sure they don’t over-enforce the law as long as they are fitted with the right 『Hive』. The king’s close guards, on the other hand, can use the 『Hive』 to keep track of the judicial fae’s moves, ensuring that there will be no problems with law enforcement and justice.

Ethan heard this and probably understood the ‘separation of powers’ of this so-called military centralized system. Strictly speaking, it was not a 『closed loop of power』. The king had the supreme power to arbitrarily alter and manipulate the legislation, judiciary, and law enforcement, and essentially, this 『separation of powers』 was still a kind of dictatorship system.

In the council chamber, the matter about law making and scholar introduction came to an end, and it ended with the victory of the Fae Faction.

Ethan took Ruichier’s advice and started to work on creating a legal system for a military centralized state. But on the other hand, he also took care of the sentiments of the academy faction, inviting scholars such as Elijah, Machiavelli, and Bertan Liu to assist in revising the laws of the Knights of the Twilight West nation.

As for the handling of the riot, the marriage contract between the merchant’s daughter and the weaver and dyer, a pair of young people who had been blessed by the Heavenly Father, was ruled valid; the merchant’s greed for money and the old widower’s greed for sex were sentenced to fifteen lashes each and payment of fines; the initiators of the riot, totaling sixteen, were placed under the death penalty; and the other immigrants who had taken part in the riot were stripped of their status as free citizens and were all sentenced to hard labor.

Chapter 5

Standing in front of the window of the chief captain’s room, Ethan looked away from the sixteen bodies hanging from the snow-covered hills and trees for a long time.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

After receiving permission, Howard entered the room, looked at the back of the window, and whispered, Your Majesty, the list of names you asked me to investigate has come to light.

Ethan turned to the armchair and closed his eyes, Read it.

Howard took out the paper in his arms and read out the names; Master Terence, Ulysses, Dion, Elijah …… Some Ethan had heard of, others were unheard of.

It took exactly five minutes for Howard to finish reading the long list, dropping his hand into silence.

Ethan opened his eyes and spoke, What have these people been doing lately?

Howard thought for a moment before saying, Most of these students or scholars come from Tairo Academy, and they have recently formed a 『Jade Society』 on their own initiative, and from time to time, they will gather together to discuss academics and debate current affairs ……

Seeing that this Kingdom Seeing that the head of the Kingdom Security Bureau was hesitant to speak, Ethan added, Just say what you have to say, no need to stammer.

Yes! Your Majesty! What these people are talking about, in my opinion, goes against the teachings and is even disobeying the gods! They question what the Bible says, and some even suggest that the Twilight West Kingdom should abandon the Heavenly Father and revere the truth. Howard said while realizing that Ethan was still indifferent, and said somewhat anxiously, "Your Majesty, I know that you have preconceived notions about the Church, and hold a permissive or even conniving attitude towards the truth, but the Murexi Kingdom and the Knights are dependent on the Heavenly Father’s 『Protection』, and it is not wise to allow blasphemers in the name of