Titan Beneath the Heavens Chapter 207

His Highness the Prince and General Murat made it in time for the sowing season when they arrived at Fort Mamruk. The farmers in the nearby regions were busy in the fields, and the vast Shouren1 Field was still the pale green of early spring. The people in the fields had their backs bent with aprons tied around them. Wrapped within the aprons were wheat seeds. The footprints left a long trail in the footpath between the paddy fields. Cattles were hauling plows to level the ground and the farmers followed close behind to scatter wheat seeds in the tender soil.

To drive away the greedy sparrows, many scarecrows were set up in the fields. The sun fell upon the scarecrow's comical, tattered hat. When His Imperial Highness the Prince passed under its shadow, the scarecrow drew back the corners of its enormous mouth and smiled at him.

Oscar suddenly felt an absurd sensation. He kept staring at the terrifying scarecrow until his sore neck forced him to turn his head around. The Prince nudged General Murat, "See that scarecrow? Many sparrows have settled on its body!"

Murat smiled. He ignored the scarecrow and pointed toward the castle not far off.

"Fort Mamruk, Southern Gate of Dulin's Plain! Marshal Alan has set up two standing armies and a reserve here. It is a little more than double of ours."

Oscar's gaze fell upon the castle. The castle stood at the highest point of a stone mountain and was connected into one with the ash brown limestones. The massive stonewall was like a corner of the mountain. At the narrowest part of the mountain pass, there was a tiny gate that could only accommodate one oxcart.

"You think that we will encounter trouble?"

Murat shook his head. He could not say for sure about the things Alan would do, but there was no reason for the Marshal of the Imperial guards to make a violent move on Prince O'Neil at such a place.

When passing Mamruk Village, Oscar finally loosened his furrowed eyebrows. Most of the houses in the village were half-timbered structures at the heart of Titan. Lively, bright-colored paints were used to coat them. Strolling into this fairytale-like village of half-timbered structures, one could differentiate which houses were newly built and which were decades old with just a glance. Owing to the village not being on a level area plus most of the materials used to build these kinds suspended arch houses were logs, these ancient little buildings had already started to become distorted, just like a drunken man who was wobbly and had lost all senses. Those who did not know any better may even think that they were about to collapse. However, the history of the wooden houses of Mamruk could be traced all the way back to when the Titans' ancestors first started their venture on this land.

Surrounding the only well in the village, the Princes' knights engaged in a lively banter. Still, more people were still scattered in the grasslands outside the village. The horses wandered around leisurely while the knights sunbathed. The spring breeze blew from behind the Stone Mountain and the grass bristled in the breeze. When the grass bent, countless weapons, shields and resting soldiers could be seen.

In the village, there was a girl laughing. The lads were surrounding a wooden house. They did not barge into the family's courtyard but merely teased the blonde girl while separated by the flower field and the window.

The big-sized Aubayan hounds barked hysterically at every knight that passed the little village. The soldiers made a face at each other. They stared at the shiny flesh of the hounds, laughing with malicious intent. If they waited until darkness descended…

The Aubayan hounds were smart. When they saw people look at them with eyes used to assess dinner, these giant hounds entered the fence of their owner's house discreetly and peeked at those gluttonous humans through the door cracks.

Oscar led his bodyguards and crowd of military officers to a halt on a high ground in front of the castle. The small iron gate of the castle was wide open. When the military bugle sounded, a group of riders dressed splendidly charged out.

The person in front appeared like the commanding officer took the lead and dashed up the highland. He did his best to rein in his horse before the prince.

After a respectful and sincere salute, came the hypocritical flattering and self-introduction.

Oscar accompanied his local commander to circle around the little Fort Mamruk for a good half of a day. The inspection ended after lunch time. The castle's garrison officer sent the prince and his entourage out from the gates and even sent a team of experienced construction soldiers to help the Red Tigers build an army camp on the highland.

Finally in the evening, when Oscar at long last managed to settle down properly, the commissioned officers of the Military Intelligence looked for him again. His Highness the Prince could only empty his ice-cold coffee in one swig and then forced himself to perk up.

"My Lord, news just received from Dulin..." Commander of the Secret Operations Office's Internal Security Department under the Military Intelligence Bureau, Sir Brayson placed a scroll which was sealed with wax before the prince.

Oscar wiped his hands with the corner of his shirt. He tore open the wax paint skillfully and unrolled the cowhide scroll. After a glance, our young prince's reluctant expression vanished. He spread out the secret report excitedly towards the Military Intelligence officers at the scene.

"So refreshing! Even Silver Fox Alan has a time when he suffers setbacks..."

That was a matter on the night of the 21st day of the 2nd month. Marshal Alan tidied up his humble abode just like the past dozen or so years and then brought his old orderly to leave the low little wooden building. It was late. Both the old men took the military carriage and returned to the residence close to Hamilton Palace.

It was around two something. Even those involved did not recall the exact time. Alan had taken a nap on the carriage and may even have a nightmare. Anyway, he arrived safely at the single-story building he was temporarily living in. The ones who were in charge of protecting the Marshal of the Imperial Guards was a company of paladins that had followed Alan all year round. Probably no one would be able to harm even a single hair on Silver Fox among the hundreds of swords of the paladins who surrounded and protected him. However, there was never an absolute thing in the world.

Marshal Alan's single-story building appeared extremely ancient. He did not like to open the windows. The dozens of windows above were always closed. There were even thick curtains and draperies on the inside. There were only a few neglected flowers and plants on the second-floor balcony.

Alan dismounted the carriage and the knights around him immediately saluted the commander. Right at that moment, the ending sound of a crossbow quivered on the top floor of the opposite Ministry of Finance building. The paladins guarding the commander threw their gazes in that direction, stunned. It was the old orderly who was the fastest to react. He used his frail body to shield the confused old man and then the arrow embedded into his flesh! It penetrated through the orderly's body and pierced Alan on the shoulder! The huge momentum caused the two elderly, who were stuck together, to fall heavily onto the ground. Alan, after watching the light faded out from the old veteran's eyes, only then did he become aware of the unbearable pain. Then, he no longer knew anything else!

The Commander of the Guards was seriously injured and unconscious. Other people could not just have pretended that nothing had happened. Firstly, there were paladins on duty. Their actions were precise and swift. Some of them used their bodies and shields to protect the gravely wounded commander to rush into the residence. Secondly, their force smashed open the Ministry of Finance's huge doors and charged into the building. They turned the whole building upside down, but they only discovered the assassin's discarded crossbow beneath a wooden window of the top floor attic.

The paladins that returned empty-handed could only beat up the ignorant Ministry of Finance's night watchers. At that time, Alan had already received the initial critical care and had regained consciousness. 

The Commander of the Guards told key members of the military who arrived one after another, "Don't impose emergency measures, don't alarm the residents and don't display a look to the outsiders as if all hell is about to break loose…"

A young general suddenly barged through the doors, "Grandpa! Grandpa! Are you alright?"

Alan composed himself. He had heard the sound of warhorses and shouts of the soldiers coming from outside the window, "What did you do?"

The commander of the Capital Defender, General Reynold Hewitt Preston, pointed toward the main street outside the window with the sword hilt he was gripping tightly. "An entire Cavalry Division, an Artillery Company. By 3 a.m., I will seal off major traffic routes in the Capital area. Both the Secret Service Department and the Military Intelligence Department are assembling men to launch an immediate large-scale manhunt!"

"How can my child be such an idiot..." Alan slapped his forehead in distress.

The unit commander of the knights in charge to guard the Commander of the Guards strode into the Marshal's bedroom with embarrassment. He brought the weapon that the assassin had used, but he knew that this physical evidence would cause endless trouble.

"Look here..." General Reynold took the crossbow and pointed out a symbol on the crossbow machine for his frail, wounded and pallid grandfather, "A drawn bow with crossed blades! Just looking at this workmanship and one can tell it's the Steinberger's private merchandise.""What if it is?" Alan moaned, "Getting such a bow is not a difficult task, and don't try to escalate the situation at such a time..."

"Her Majesty and the Chief of the Secret Service Department have come to visit you!" an officer whispered at the door.

The soldiers inside the room stood upright quickly and General Reynold put away his sword as well and retreated to a side respectfully.

Empress Alanis I practically ran into the old Marshal's bedroom. When she saw the wide patch of bloodstain on the Marshal's shirt, she used her hands to cover her eyes and said repeatedly, "No…no…" 

"My Lady! I'm fine..." Alan tried to sit up but the pain of the arrow wound distorted his facial features. The Empress pushed the stubborn old Marshal back to the bed hurriedly. She wiped the cold sweat on the Marshal's forehead with her handkerchief, then only did she turned toward the silent crowd in the room that had their heads hung.

"Who did it?"

Being confronted by Her Majesty's question, the people present only knew how to exchange looks of dismay. All of them could only call to mind the name of a single person but considering the identity of this person and the relationship with Her Majesty before them, probably no one would start talking.

"You all don't know then why aren't you finding out?" Alanis pointed towards the door for the group of useless men.

"Wait!" Her Majesty suddenly called out to the dejected good-for-nothings, "Have the acting officer in charge of Marshal Alan's travel safety be handed over to the Court of Marshal. As for all the guards who witnessed the incident but failed to stop all these will be revoked of their Paladin..."

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..." Alan groaned with difficulty. "It's none of their business... there isn't any reason to take it out on them..."

Looking at his grandfather's expression, the Commander of the Capital Garrison, who had been staying by the bedside all the while had no choice but to step out.

"Your Majesty, what the Marshal said is right! The incident was sudden. No one had time to stop the assassin. Moreover, this crossbow manufactured by the Steinbergers can penetrate through a black bear in the forest, what more is to say for two frail old men…"

"Steinberger?" Alanis' eyes widened dubiously, "The assassin used the Steinberger's bow?"

"Even the arrow as well!" General Reynold added. However, his grandfather was already waving his hand impatiently.

"Young lad, get out this instance and shut the door!"

The Commander of the Capital Garrison could only roll his eyes. He strode out of the old man's bedroom and closed the door for those in the room.

"Very well, Your Majesty! Let's explore this matter..." having not completed his sentence, Alan broke into a violent coughing fit and a large patch of dark red immediately appeared on the bandage wrapped around his shoulder.

"Oh my god! You should rest!" Alanis made a fuss over it. When she saw the smear of bloody red, she felt dizzy. The strong reek of blood in the room also made her feel continuously nauseous.

"No, My Lady!" Silver Fox Alan stubbornly shook his head. He turned towards the Head of the Secret Service at one side.

"First of all, we have to make it clear that this has nothing to do with the Steinberger Family. Secondly, there are many people in this world who even in their dreams would want me to go to hell. However, if they are distinguished from one another, they can roughly be divided into three groups..."

The head of the secret service, Viscount Federick, nodded his head in understanding, "The first group, also the most highly suspected, the Andrew Family that His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette represented..." Federick paused deliberately. He evaluated Empress Alanis I's expression, but Her Majesty seemed indifferent.

"The second group is the Deiss at the north; our old rivals!" the Head of the Secret Service said, indicating the crossbow that was placed at the edge of the bed, "The Diess can definitely get their hands on the Steinberger Family's military weapon. Only a few border clashes will do the trick."

"The third group is the Westland Kingdom Alliance!" Alanis blurted the final answer. She furrowed her brows as if comparing the three suspects.

"I'm more inclined towards His Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette. If he is a vindictive villain, then he will…"

"Don't describe my husband that way!" Alanis cut off the Head of the Secret Service, unusually infuriated. This young nephew of hers was getting more and more impudent.

The Head of the Secret Service shut his mouth immediately. Recently, Her Majesty was a little temperamental especially when those blabbermouths talked about her husband.

The room fell into silence with only the rapid breathing of the Marshal of the Guards. After a protracted period of time, Alan finally groaned.

"I think that it can't be our Prince O'Neil!" Alan cast his gaze over the heavy-duty crossbow of incomprehensible force, "If O'Neil Andrew Morisette wanted to take retaliatory actions against me, he wouldn't be so foolish as to involve the Steinbergers. Besides, even if he always wanted to take my life, when there isn't any certainty, he will never make a move, especially not such foolish moves!"

"Everyone carefully recall the past experiences of O'Neil!" the Commander of the Guards had a faraway and fond look, "Don't think just because this little lad had moments where he was like an impulsive little devil, but when he encounters a true match, if there isn't an absolute certainty, he'd rather not do anything and merely watch silently."

"You can't say that!" the newly appointed Head of the Secret Service shook his head repeatedly, "How would you know the amount of certainty Prince O'Neil held for the assassination incident tonight? Don't forget, if it wasn't for your orderly blocking the force of impact of the iron arrow, you'd already be…forgive me for saying so, you know what I mean!"

"Indeed!" Alan nodded slightly, "What I meant was the certainty towards such an unexpected situation! If Prince O'Neil really plots an operation to assassinate me, then please, believe me, there will be no incidents! Since there was an unexpected event, this matter is definitely not Oscar's doing!"

Alanis gestured with her hands. She did not wish to let the two annoying men before her to discuss her husband this way.

"In your opinion, is the Deiss more suspicious or is the Westland Kingdom Alliance more suspicious?"

Alan blinked his bloodshot eyes, "It's difficult to answer! Conventionally, the Deiss had never been very good in terms of assassination and crafty machinations! The Roulexberg Queen of this present age really hoped that the Deiss Kingdom's army could defeat me on the battlefield and not die under the sinister arrows of an assassin. So…"

"It is the Westland Kingdom Alliance!"

O'Neil Andrew Morisette blurted out the answer loudly. He saw officers of the Military Intelligence in the camp heaved a huge sigh of relief.

Sir Brayson, Commander of the Military Intelligence Internal Security Department, spread his hands towards the prince. "You mean…it wasn't 'us' who did it?"

Sir Brayson deliberately emphasized the accent on the word "us". He hoped that His Highness could understand that the military officials present were reliable people, and not all of them fancied fame and profit as much as Messier De Quixote. The officials who accompanied His Highness the Prince to Vielonna were good men who wanted to make a career in the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Especially Lukas Diyabaker!

The university fresh graduates were still holding quill pens in their mouths while he had already made a list of the three possibilities for the "Sword, Assassination case" in his imagination.

"The first one!" Viscount Diyabaker extended a finger towards His Highness the Prince, full of zest, "Faran Aragon!"

"This intelligence unit has always maintained a considerable sense of mystery. We have always had very little knowledge of the internal situation of the Faran Kingdom Court Investigation Council. So much so that we simply do not know who is managing this Intelligence Department that is directly responsible for the Faran King. Does everyone remember the writings of Colonel Karlchette Nierer?"

Oscar turned his head away violently, "Don't bring up that rascal. Sooner or later I will decorate his head into a ball.

Lukas could only shrug. He also knew that most of the colleagues in the Military Intelligence Bureau detested the name of this bastard.

"The assessment Colonel Karlchette Nierer gave Marshal Alan in his political-military affairs writing was a giant double-edged sword! The enemies could be stopped from the outside while there could be peace and stability within the country! This gave the Farans a good reason to put him to death. In addition, the move of pushing the blame to the Steinbergers wasn't very bright, outrageously stupid even, but everyone thinks about it. If the Marshal of the Guards was really assassinated by the crossbow produced by the Steinbergers, I believe there would be no turning this matter around. A series of trouble will hamper the Steinbergers. At the same time, since someone had planted the incident on the Steinbergers, well, he just wants to stir up a new disaster when the Steinbergers come across trouble."

"Tell us about the second possibility!" Oscar waved his hand, "This first one...how do you put it, is too complicated!"

Viscount Diyabaker nodded, "The second possibility covers a slightly wider scope! The Westland Kingdom Alliance, the Deiss, the major monarch national capitals in the mainland is all suspicious. The timing they chose is unusually subtle, particularly after the incident you encountered in Dulin! I believe that the intelligence personnel from the west can more or less find out some inside stories that you assassinated the Marshal of the Guards after leaving Dulin. To be honest, Marshal Alan only injured his shoulder like you. If he really met a sudden death, there isn't a need to mention the kind of changes that would take place in the political-military affairs terrain within the country. The enemies that surround us from three sides would definitely prepare men to launch an offensive move as soon as possible!"

Oscar waved his hand again, "The scope of the second possibility is not generally wide. Since the western monarchs are all suspicious, then isn't it equal to not mentioning them at all?"

Lucas could only roll his eyes, "Okay then, Your Highness, as you wish! The most likely one is the third! Of course, this is just my personal knowledge."

"I'm waiting!" Oscar nodded.

Viscount Diyabaker took out his own notebook. He spent a good time leafing through the pages of the booklet filled with words before finding the notes that were sufficient in explaining the question, "In between the fourth and the fifth month of the year of Mucou, Engel's National Ocean Measurement Bureau's record of the intelligence operation engaged in our country's borders first appeared in the Secret Service and Military Intelligence Bureau's files. To be exact, the person in charge of watching over the court, Marquise Wesarcia discovered four to five people whose manner were suspicious near the residence of the Marquis. The investigation following the event showed that one of them lived in Dulin for a long time without a fixed occupation but had a huge amount of Golden Tis. Furthermore, which is also the most important point, he frequently came and went from the Engel Embassy as he pleases."

"801 Leak Case! I believe everyone still has this incident fresh in their memories!" Lukas flipped the notebook in his hands to the back, "The leaking of the beacon project led to the complete suspension of our bureau's spying activities and subversive activities in the Kingdom of Slovenia. Afterward, the investigation revealed that the responsible person of the 'Dulin Daily Express' did not have the opportunity to commit crimes, but there was a strange phenomenon worth noting; everyone in the 'Dulin Daily Express' once received a substantial amount of funding from a businessman at the beginning of their venture. During the investigations, we found that the mysterious businessman was just a bank account. The party that opened the account was an offshore trading company, registered under the Kingdom of Engels."

"So, I know my opinion is very subjective, but these two things can at least explain something! The Department of National Ocean Measurement is constantly expanding its intelligence activities towards our country!"

Oscar furrowed his brows. He hated an invisible enemy. "You keep putting the most suspicious fellows towards the end, which means that…"

"Yes, My Lord!" the university graduate nodded firmly, "The Engelish!"

Oscar exchanged gazes with the Military Intelligence officials at the scene.

It can be seen that they did not quite understand Viscount Diyabeker's explanation.

"Why would it be the Engelish? No practical conflict of interest exists between our country and the Kingdom of Engels!" Baron Qureio, the Head of the International Department of the Secret Operations Office who had been silent all this while, finally spoke. This old man's nickname was "The Silver Fox of the Military Intelligence Bureau". Under normal circumstances, when the hour was not critical, one would not see him give his opinions.

"Yes, there are no historical feuds between our country and the Kingdom of Engels, and there is no practical conflict of interest in the present age! However, our country not having any does not mean that the Andrews didn't either!" Viscount Diyabaker subconsciously looked towards Prince O'Neil who had somewhat grasped it.

"I think Marshal Figg Andrew Tibotty may not understand just how important the waters controlled by the Narcissus Knights are!" the university student pointed to His Highness the Prince's rectangular wooden table. On it was a detailed geographical map of the mainland.

"Starting from the Disin Sea, across the Eichin Sea, pass the Dardanelle Channel, Bosphorus Channel and through the entire Black Sea! This is the geographic demarcation when entering the east from Westland. Last year, we all still remember just what a tremendous stir the navigation chart that Marquis Wesarcia brought back caused! But that is the route from the sea to the east. If it is from the Disin Sea directly to the Black Sea and then climbing ashore from the Black Sea to take the land route to advance towards the east, time-wise, it is much faster than that of the sea route!"

"I...I understand what you mean! You mean...you mean..." Oscar stalled for quite a long time but still couldn't come up with something. As a matter of fact, he could only stare at the university student. His Imperial Highness the Prince knew that Lukas was ridiculously intelligent but he did not wish to admit that he did not understand the things this bright man was saying.

"I'm saying that if there's an option, the Engelish will join hands with the Andrews instead of the Morisettes who controls the heart of the mainland!" Viscount Diyaker simply stood up and indicated the position of the Black Sea on the map.

"As an isolated island country outside of the mainland, the Engelish's adventurous spirit and aggressive determination are portrayed in their intense desire to control the vast ocean! If this desire for control is to be summed up with a single word, it will be plundering! Plundering the coastline's resources, plundering trade routes, plundering gold, and plundering everything that can allow the people on the island to feel a sense of superiority!"

"The abnormal humanistic spirit of the island country...I've heard before!" the Head of the International Department, Baron Qureio gently nodded.

"Yes, that's right!" Lukas glanced at the old man and then turned towards O'Neil Andrew Morisette, whose eyes were bright and radiating with vigor. "Your Highness! Even in remote isolated islands, pamphlets describing the Narcissus Knights can be found, and even the King of Engels had once voyaged across the sea with only a handful of knights to participate in the punitive expedition the east, launched by the Narcissus Knights!"

Oscar nodded, but this made him even more puzzled. "That was a matter of three hundred years ago. I've even forgotten the name of that King of Engels! Fundamentally, it is this King who established the map of the Engels of today."

"What are you trying to say?"

The university student threw aside the notebook with excitement, "Don't you get it? The Engelish respects you and the Andrews! The Narcissus Knights completed the punitive expedition to the east. This was the lifelong regret of Charlie the Great at that time! And now you have occupied the Great Plains of Anatolia, subduing the pagans who were temporarily in power! The most crucial point, also one of the points regarded most importantly by the Engelish Royal Household, is that your knight controlled the coastal areas of the Black Sea. At least from the western starting point, you have broken through the Eastern Trade Route of three centuries!"

Oscar gave a silly chuckle. He felt like the university student was describing him as a great man.

Colonel Lukas Diyabaker took a few gasping breaths and organized his train of thought.

"Your Highness, if your Lighthouse Strategy is put through, it's nothing more than completely controlling over the Aldrid Sea and the Eichin Sea. It expands the strategical depth for the Narcissus Knights who have control over the Black Sea, helps the navy further expand and adapt to the trend of the world. Previously, you've always stressed that the Engelish may conduct an armed intervention in the war that broke out in Slovenia, but why can't we reflect over this issue from a different point of view?"

"I see!" Oscar nodded heavily, "You mean the Kingdom of Engels can become an ally to the Andrews in certain aspects."

"No!" the university student shook his head firmly, "You should say…the outcome will inevitably be like this!"

"Why?" Oscar frowned. He did not believe there were any inevitable allies in the world.

"What if the Narcissus Knights took over Slovenia? Will the Engelish deploy their limited ground troops to interfere with the actions of the God Chosen Warriors? Moreover, even if the Engel's open ocean fleet took advantage of the Black Sea, so what? The Andrews control both the channels. The distance between the channels is not more than a few kilometers. The shortest area does not even reach a kilometer. Only a few fortress artilleries need to be set up along the seacoast. Will the Engel's fleets still be dare to force their way through?"

Oscar nodded once again. It seemed that he indeed overestimated the response of the Engelish when planning the Lighthouse Strategy. The Engel's sea force was admittedly formidable, but they would not come ashore at a place with the Narcissus Knights.

"So...if it were you to invite the Engelish ashore and invite them to, at the geographical demarcation point between the east and the west, open a trading port, trade freely, expand the trading route and even provide the necessary training and drill for Andrew's fleet…I think that the King of Engels and even the ordinary subjects will thank you for this opportunity you granted. This is a good thing of mutual benefit! Even if the Engelish has a thousand or ten thousand reasons, they still won't refuse you!"

"Isn't this…inviting the enemy into one's lair?" Oscar looked at Lukas with concern, "The Engelish are harder to deal with compared to the Deiss. They have been at it with the Farans and West Percians for a century. This shows what kind of people they are! Didn't you just say it? Their overseas expansion can only be summarized as plundering! It's easy to attract seals with delicious flesh and blood, but it's a hassle to send them away!"

"Your Highness!" the university student spread his hands sincerely, "We can't give up on growth because we are afraid of trouble. At this moment, it is imperative to draw in the Engel's fleet and businessmen. Besides, if it's not the Engelish, then it will be the Farans or the West Percians. If it is impossible for you to divide your interests equally, you must unite in one hand to go against the other. If one day you decide to abandon the Engelish, then it must be a time when Andrew's navy can contend against these experienced maritime powers. However, as of now, Andrew's navy is still just a rudimentary form, and you must rely on external forces to strengthen the coastal border region and develop the trading routes, this can't be helped!"

Oscar pondered in silence, but he suddenly realized a problem. "Ola...I say, aren't we straying a little far in this matter? I've almost forgotten that our Commander of the Guards is still lying in bed like a poor thing!"

The officers present burst into laughter and the university student who led the issue to be sidetracked scratched his head in embarrassment.

The Minister of Military Intelligence Secret Operations Office, Baron Spencer Balung gazed at his two subordinates. The person responsible for the Internal Security Department and the International Department had on a look that said they refused to comment. In the end, he could only step out.

"Your Highness, if my guess is correct, what Colonel Lukas Diyabaker means to say is..." Minister Spencer contemplated for a good moment, "It's the Fur Seals of the Engelish who planned this assassination operation against the Military Affairs Chancellor, Marshal Alan!"

"Yes!" Lukas nodded, "I've said before that the intelligence operations of the Engelish in our country are not only secretive, but the results are outstanding! If we refer to this time's assassination operation..." Diyabaker glanced at His Highness the Prince beside him.

"Marshal Alan still has a little self-awareness, the elite paladins certainly follow him everywhere. Otherwise, he will hide in the military cabin that is within layers upon layers of protection. If not, he will conceal himself in the residence opposite the Ministry of Finance's building. There are 39 rooms in the apartment building and no one knows which bedroom Marshal Alan will spend the weekend, so, being able to grasp the precise whereabouts of the Commander of the Guards and unleash the assassin at the very last moment when he enters his humble home was practically an impossible task. However, I believe that the Fur Seals possess such a capability, or you can say that the spies of the Engelish in Dulin are doing an outstanding job!"

"Why are they doing this?" the old Head of the International Department muttered subconsciously. He could not believe that his experience of being a minister in four nations could not compare to that of a university fresh graduate.

Colonel Lukas flipped his notebook again. "The topic just discussed is a little far-fetched and this may have confused everyone. But everyone still remembers right? The Leak Case may very well be the work of the Engelish and earlier I said that the largest suspect of the military is Marshal Alan! Previously, I was still not sure whether the Engelish would become allies with the Andrews, but after Alan suffered an assassination, didn't everyone know my approach?"

"Yeah, why?" Oscar spread his hands impatiently.

"There is only one explanation!" Lukas stretched out a finger as he previously did. "Marshal Alan leaked the Lighthouse Strategy. This indicates that he does not wish to see the Andrews occupying Slovenia, but how does the Engelish who receives such news regard this issue? They hope that the Andrews can open access to the peninsula and control this body of water. That way, it will lead to the mutual benefits that I have just mentioned. So, the Engelish wants to eliminate the obstacles that hinder the Andrews and removing these obstacles will cause Titan and even the entire Western Kingdoms fall into a disorder. It can even be said that it's an unending benefit to the isolated island!"

"How do you explain the Steinbergers? Could it be that no one is trying to make use of the northwestern warlord?" Commander of the Internal Security Department, Sir Brayson, questioned.

"Oh! The Steinbergers..." the young military colonel groaned, "Everyone should know just how silly this trick is! So, I will say that since the heavy crossbow produced by the Steinberger Family are world-famous, then why can't assassins use them to assassinate the Marshal of the Guards?"

Oscar mulled over it in silence, but there was still an issue he did not quite understand.

"Lukas, there is a contradiction in your analysis!"

"Go ahead, My Lord!"

Oscar snatched up the other's notebook. "Here! Since the fields, this Leak Case is very likely to be the doing of the Engelish spies. Then don't they know that doing this will put my Lighthouse Strategy in a difficult position? If they hope for the Andrews to launch a war against Slovenia, they shouldn't proclaim this matter to the whole world!"

"It's as I said before!" the university student raised his forehead confidently, "If you look at the problem from a different perspective, you will find the whole world has become completely different, just like the fields and Leak Case! My understanding is that through the leaked secrets, the Engelish are urging you and Andrews to hurry and launch the war!"

Until then only did O'Neil Andrew Morisette developed the feeling of sudden comprehension! Looking at the issue from a different perspective...this world really was completely different from that of his imagination! If the war to annex the Kingdom of Slovenia was launched earlier, then what kind of response will the Empire and the entire Westland have?

Oscar was engrossed in it! His mind was whirling at high speed! What kind of historical changes can a war trigger, especially at a moment when everyone did not expect it!

"Could it be that there really isn't a way to remove the threat from Alan?" Oscar questioned suddenly. He swept his gaze at the Military Intelligence officers present. They all looked as if their jaws had dropped.

"Ola...my apologies!" Oscar rubbed his nose awkwardly, "You all know that Alan wants my life...it's been three times! But I can't even find an opportunity. So, I can't let it go!"

The Minister of the Military Intelligence Secret Operations Office, Baron Spencer Balung slipped forwards, panic-stricken, "Your Highness, 221's failure has proven that assassinating Marshal Alan is an unrewarding task. If you have any patience, you shouldn't try this kind of act!"

Oscar's voice fell to a whisper. He ran his ice-cold eyes over the person in charge of secret operations.

"Even the top seed in Westland's assassin profession is incapable of accomplishing this mission?

This time, it was a young university student who came forward, "My Lord, the Engelish harbors ill intentions. They can give up on this, but you have to think carefully!"

The Commander of the Military Intelligence Secret Operations Office's Internal Security Department, Sir Brayson, also took a step forward, "Your Highness, the Easterners have an ancient proverb which says when the sky falls, there will be giant trees to stop it!"

Everyone turned towards the silent International Department Head. The "Silver Fox of the Military Intelligence" stroked his white beard. This cunning former diplomat chuckled.

"My Lord, my metaphor is very simple. With Alan the great tree that towers into the heavens, rain, lightning, locusts, and pesky birds will all keep away from us!"

Oscar loosened his bones.

"Ola...everyone just assumes that I...didn't say anything!"

Chapter end