Chapter 77

Aubertin Lukeini Volans.

Xialan was not unfamiliar with this person. From the information obtained from Old Shax, he knew who he was.

Gare VII had many sons; some had died, and others had been enfeoffed to other regions. However, among the sons who could remain in the capital, only the eldest prince Sassou and the fourth prince Volans were left.

This was because they were the most capable of ascending to the throne.

Unlike the eldest prince's low-key and wise demeanor, Volans' style of action was more like Gare VII's bloody rise to power. He was equally calm and wise, equally ruthless and decisive.

"The kingdom's nobility is more inclined to support the eldest prince Sassou for the throne."

Tilrand's reminder plunged Xialan into silent contemplation. If this matter was indeed the work of the fourth prince, his goal was probably not just to weaken the king's authority.

Only one person could sit on the throne, and the obstacles they faced were not just their father, but also the competition between them, which was key to ascending to the throne.

If he could weaken the king's authority while simultaneously striking at his opponent's support, given the fourth prince Volans' character, such a tempting opportunity would be hard to resist.

"Although the fourth prince appears to have the ability to lead the kingdom back to its former glory, the nobility does not recognize him. This is because changing the kingdom's current state would inevitably touch upon the nobility's own interests. If the fourth prince cannot solve this problem, the nobility will never stand by his side," Tilrand said slowly and solemnly.

"So you came together?" Xialan asked.

"Ha, if we set aside the bias against the fourth prince, this kingdom is more suitable under his rule."

"Why?"

"Perhaps the eldest prince would be a wise king during a period of peace and stability, but under his governance, the kingdom's current state will remain unchanged. His support comes from the nobility, and even if he has the intention to reform the kingdom, the nobility's resistance will be his greatest obstacle," Tilrand continued with a cold snort. "The fourth prince is different. He understands the kingdom's future life-and-death predicament more deeply than anyone. The local nobility is gradually脱离中央的掌控，财政状况每况愈下。当北方的死敌奥萨苏蛮人走出大灾恢复元气，苏格罗亡灵完成一统，王国绝对会陷入无法挣脱的战争泥潭。那个时候，王国还有什么力量可以阻挡？与其让王国毁在那些短视腐朽的贵族手上，不如在变革的废墟中彻底重生。"

"支持他的力量在哪里？"

如果没有足够的支持力量，即使四王子登上王位，孤身一人的他又有何能力改变一切？

"当年雾花之年奥萨苏蛮人攻破北方防线之时，正是四王子带领着王都飞羽军团北上支援反击才收复了失地，所以在王国军部当中对四王子的评价远远高于大王子，如果四王子登上了王位，王国军部绝对会成为他最大的助力。" 提尔兰特说道。

艾德里亚王国的军部是一个独立于王国政治中心之外的存在，他们只负责王国的安全，只听从国王陛下的命令；对于中央贵族官员发布的政令却毫不理会。

两者井水不犯河水，互不相干。

王国军部虽然由贵族构成，但这些军功贵族与普通贵族的思想却是两个极端，一面激进，一面保守。

如果能够得到军部的支持，那么变革的难题也将迎刃而解，夏兰可以想象得到，如果四王子登位之后，艾德里亚王国恐怕便会陷入一片战火内乱当中！

变革的阵痛永远是无法避免的存在。

在王位形势未明显之前，王国军部不会站在沃兰斯的一方。而其余支持大王子的保守贵族阶层却没有这番顾忌，所以大局形势上对四王子并不有利。

为了反转自身的不利，沃兰斯所要付出的往往比他的哥哥都要艰险，因为只有如此，他才能彻底改变大局的方向。

"那些黑袍人你知道他们的来历吗？" 夏兰忽然问道。

"你很看重他们？" 提尔兰特带着疑惑留意道。

夏兰点点头，道："或许你不清楚，那些人集中起来的力量绝对拥有与王国近卫正面抗衡的实力，我很奇怪，究竟四王子是如何将这股庞大的力量招募在麾下之内。"

"你说的是真的？" 提尔兰特震惊道。

"难道你不知道他们表现出的真正实力？" 若有所思下，夏兰似乎明白了什么道："或许你真的不知道，因为你的境界根本无法察觉。"

"什么意思？"

"就像普通人看见不同阶位的剑士仿佛都是一个模样。"

"也就是说，我根本无法判断出他们真实的力量？"

"是的，当我看见王国近卫镇压屠戮你们的时候，我很疑惑，为什么他们没有站出来，要知道，如果他们肯加入战场的话，绝对拥有实力抗衡近卫的冲击；可是后来在看见他们的埋伏后我才明白，原来他们不愿帮助你的目的在这里。"

"我和他们有约定，如果王国军队前来镇压，合作也将结束，他们没有帮助我们也在情理之中。" 提尔兰特苦笑道。

"难道在你的情报里对他们的了解只有这一点吗？" 夏兰问道。

提尔兰特低头无奈地叹着长气，道："是的，我不了解，原以为他们只是四王子殿下的私人护卫，但是听你如此一说，他们的来历恐怕已经不是简单的问题。"

说完，提尔兰特抬头看向身边的夏兰，神情忽然变得凝重。

"你得到了解开心中疑惑的答案，而现在我需要你的帮助？"

"帮助？" 夏兰轻笑一声，道："我以为你会选择以死明志。"

听见夏兰的话，提尔兰特的面容暗淡了下来，死亡是一件简单的事情，但没有意义的死亡却是一件可怕的事情。

"如果死亡能够带来解脱，我会毫不犹豫地去死，但是，苟活下来的我现在死去又有何意义？他们死了，因为我，因为心中信念的理想，如果有一天他们为之死去的理想无法实现，那么他们死去的意义又在哪里？所以，就让我背负上他们的理想，在他们期冀的未来里看见理想的实现，只有那一天，我的死亡才拥有意义。"

"你想要我做什么？"

"带我安全离开王都。"

"可以。"

提尔兰特站起身，虚弱的身体让他的眼睛视线微微泛黑，他知道，这是身体失血过多造成的后遗影响。

他伸出手，指着一条道路的方向道："我希望从那里离开。"

夏兰顺着他的指向，道："那里有什么？"

"有人告诉我，我的朋友在离开的时候遭到了他们的突袭，而那里正是他离开的方向，我想知道，他是否还活着。"

提尔兰特的声音里，深深的忧愁随着冷风不断飘向了远方。

---

In the year of the Fog Flower, when the Ossan savages broke through the northern defenses, it was the fourth prince who led the capital's Feathered Corps north to counterattack and reclaim the lost territory. Therefore, the evaluation of the fourth prince in the kingdom's military department is far higher than that of the eldest prince. If the fourth prince ascends to the throne, the military department will undoubtedly become his greatest support," Tilrand said.

The military department of the Adria Kingdom is an entity independent of the kingdom's political center. They are only responsible for the kingdom's security and only follow the orders of His Majesty the King; they ignore the political orders issued by the central nobility and officials.

The two do not interfere with each other.

Although the military department is composed of nobles, the thinking of these military nobles is at two extremes compared to ordinary nobles: one is progressive, the other is conservative.

If he could gain the support of the military department, the difficulties of reform would be resolved. Xialan could imagine that if the fourth prince ascended to the throne, the Adria Kingdom would likely fall into a state of civil war and chaos!

The pain of reform is an inevitable existence.

Before the throne situation becomes clear, the military department will not stand with Volans. The conservative nobility supporting the eldest prince has no such reservations, so the overall situation is not favorable for the fourth prince.

To reverse his disadvantage, Volans must pay a greater price than his brother, for only then can he fundamentally change the direction of the situation.

"Do you know the origins of those black-robed people?" Xialan suddenly asked.

"You value them highly?" Tilrand asked with a puzzled look.

Xialan nodded and said, "Perhaps you don't know, but the combined strength of those people is enough to rival the kingdom's royal guards. I'm curious how the fourth prince managed to recruit such a formidable force under his command."

"Is that true?" Tilrand asked in shock.

"Didn't you know their true strength?" After a moment of thought, Xialan seemed to understand something and said, "Perhaps you really don't know, because your level of cultivation is not high enough to detect it."

"What do you mean?"

"It's like how ordinary people see swordsmen of different ranks as all the same."

"Are you saying I can't judge their true strength?"

"Yes. When I saw the royal guards suppressing and slaughtering you, I was puzzled why they didn't step in. If they had joined the battle, they would have had the strength to resist the guards' assault. But later, when I saw their ambush, I understood that their unwillingness to help you was for a reason."

"I had an agreement with them. If the kingdom's army came to suppress us, our cooperation would end. It makes sense that they didn't help us," Tilrand said with a bitter smile.

"Is that all you know about them?" Xialan asked.

Tilrand sighed helplessly and said, "Yes, I don't know much. I thought they were just the fourth prince's personal guards, but from what you say, their origins are probably not a simple matter."

After saying this, Tilrand looked at Xialan with a serious expression.

"You have found the answer to your doubts, and now I need your help?"

"Help?" Xialan laughed lightly and said, "I thought you would choose to die with honor."

Hearing Xialan's words, Tilrand's face darkened. Death is a simple matter, but a meaningless death is a terrifying thing.

"If death could bring relief, I would die without hesitation. But what is the point of my death now, having survived? They died because of me, because of the ideals they believed in. If one day those ideals they died for cannot be realized, what is the meaning of their deaths? So, let me carry their ideals and see their realization in the future they hoped for. Only then will my death have meaning."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Help me leave the capital safely."

"Agreed."

Tilrand stood up, his weak body making his vision slightly blurry. He knew this was due to the loss of blood.

He pointed in a direction and said, "I want to leave from there."

Xialan followed his finger and asked, "What is there?"

"Someone told me that my friend was ambushed when he left, and that was the direction he took. I want to know if he is still alive."

Tilrand's voice carried deep sorrow, which was carried away by the cold wind.