Berserk: The Prophet

Chapter 203 Secret meeting at sea

.........

Since Grand Duke Hochne discovered that Judas was attempting to launch a general offensive with 100,000 men and confirmed that all of Chester's ships had been transferred, Hochne has been so worried that he has been unable to sleep at night.

Furthermore, Kirsten seems to have been keeping an eye on him lately, as Madwood keeps hearing him say that someone is spying on him.

Generally speaking, there are quite a few people monitoring Grand Duke Hokun. The nobles under his command who dare not speak out against him in normal times are eager for him to die so that Gulenberudo can take over the position of Grand Duke Grant.

The fundamental reason why Grand Duke Hokhun was so unpopular was that this place had established its own unique religious view in the north, but from the perspective of the Dharma King's Hall, their beliefs were nothing short of heresy.

Grand Duke Grant was very averse to being regarded as a heretic by the mainlanders and had been trying to unify the religion in the country according to the basic standards of the French Royal Court, which explains why he was disliked by the people.

The nobles' attempt to assassinate him also seems to be related to religious disputes.

After Kirsten and Edward finished their business briefly, they prepared to return to the Dragon's Lair. Meanwhile, Princess Folda had been preparing supplies for the troops, which were now almost complete, and they would be able to head to the Dragon's Lair in a few days.

.........

And then, in the dead of night, General Kirsten had left, and Folda was not in the palace.

Hohenheim was no longer in the city's prison, but in the Grand Duke's secret chamber.

Soon, Grand Duke Hokun, feeling increasingly uneasy, arrived at a port of the Grand Duchy that had been blockaded by Juda for some time, guided by Hohenheim. A medium-sized three-masted sailing ship was already waiting for him.

Including Madwood's shadow hand, there were four shadow hands as guards. The boatman had already put on earplugs and was only responsible for rowing. Soon they were far away from the firing range of the outer mountain fort.

A sailboat belonging to Qiu Da slowly sailed in, and He Kun finally felt relieved. He snorted coldly, "Make your move!"

Just when Hohenheim thought he could complete the mission safely, he was caught off guard when Madwood slit his throat.

...As the shadow puppeteers threw Hohenheim's headless corpse into the sea and put on earplugs, the secret talks between the two great powers officially began.

Hekun threw the blood-stained leather bag at Abecassis's feet; inside was Hohenheim's head.

"Oh, is this a show of force?" The towering Abecassis looked down at Hekun and laughed.

"Let me make this clear first..." He Kun began, "I cut off that spy's head not because I wanted to ruin this secret meeting, but purely because this conversation cannot tolerate any third party living!!"

"Your Excellency is truly meticulous."

"No need for formalities. Even if it's a secret meeting at sea, the Duke will still arouse suspicion if he stays away for too long." Heaven knows how much effort He Kun put into getting rid of those noble spies and seizing this rare opportunity for a secret meeting.

“Then I’ll be frank,” Abecassis said bluntly. “If you hand over Gurenberudo and your people, you can have your wealth, and the Grant family can still be united with the Juda royal bloodline.”

"What?" Although He Kun was mentally prepared, he still hesitated for a moment.

“Your people hope that the next king will be Gurenbelud, and then your queen and your country will be taken away by that man!” Abekasis’s eyes narrowed. The most vulnerable and easily manipulated part of this man’s heart had long been known to the pawns he had planted.

“You bastard…” Although He Kun was reluctant to admit it, it was indeed an obvious fact.

“I told you we’d get straight to the point, didn’t I? The spy you killed should have told you that the large-scale invasion is real, not just a bluff, and that we have 10 troops,” Abecassis said confidently.

Even if the entire army of Grant were mobilized, it would still be only 3000 men. If the "Dragon's Nest" were breached... no, no matter how brave Gurenbeldo was, he could not possibly withstand an army of 100,000 with a mere 3,000 men.

"Ultimately, the Grand Duchy of Grant has been bogged down in war for years, resulting in a persistent decline in trade. The royal palace is unable to maintain its former luxurious lifestyle. You should be incredibly bored, right?" Abecassis continued to entice Grand Duke Hokun to recall his once extravagant and abundant material life.

"Don't worry, you can live a much richer life than you do now. His Majesty the Emperor of our country will guarantee that you become a member of the Juda royal family. I've heard that the unique religious views of the Grand Duchy of Grant are also causing you some trouble. In that case, why not simply accept Juda's rule? That would make reforms much easier, wouldn't it?" Abecassis threw out his bait, and even his tone gradually became more friendly.

“Hmm…” Clearly, Grand Duke Hekun was beginning to waver.

"Whether it's the royal palace or the army, there must be many people you don't like, right?"

"Everything can start over. After getting rid of all the people you don't like, you can start over with the people you like, and there will be no more wars in the future."

Unbeknownst to them, Abecassis had created an atmosphere as if they were having a conversation with a close friend.

“If I accept your conditions…” He Kun took a deep breath, “what should I do?”

“The last thing we want to waste is time.” Seeing that Hekun was completely swayed, Abecassis grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"With an army of 10, the 'Dragon's Nest' is definitely ours for the taking, but Gurunberdo will surely resist to the very end. It's a real shame to waste war funds on him!"

"If you can manage to keep Grunberdo in check, it will be a great help to us. Of course, the saved war expenses will then belong entirely to His Excellency the Grand Duke..."

Soon, the maritime meeting came to an end, and the Grand Duke's sailing ship disappeared into the shadows of the night.

Abecassis strode over to a wooden crate, opened it, and grinned menacingly, revealing a set of white teeth.

"Everything is going as you predicted, Your Excellency Kadi."

It turns out that Kadi was also involved in this maritime conspiracy, but unlike the others, he didn't have earplugs. Furthermore, he was hidden in a box in the meeting room.

Even Abecassis had to admire Cadi's ability to control people's hearts; he could easily discover and exploit their most vulnerable parts with just a few details.

Thankfully... such a man is not their enemy, Abekasia thought to herself.

.........

Since Kirsten left Norudkavatti first, he went to the "Fire Palace" to find his granddaughter, the Dragon Priestess Benedict.

Benedict was playing with a large, silver wolf, grooming its fur. This silver wolf was named Ludwick, and had been Benedict's playmate since it was three years old. By the standards of a typical wolf's lifespan, it should be middle-aged or elderly.

However, this large silver wolf, which could serve as Benedict's mount, was clearly well cared for and remained full of energy.

"Ouch——!!"

Ludvik, having caught the familiar scent, ran towards Kirsten with boundless joy. It must be said that the silver wolf, which was over 1.8 meters long, looked quite cool when it ran, but at this moment it was rubbing against Kirsten's waist like a big dog.

"...Grandpa, I haven't seen you in so long!"

Benedict was blind from a young age, but fortunately, the One-Eyed God bestowed upon the girl an extraordinary ability—Benedict could see the colors in people's hearts.

Although such abilities would frighten the world, in the "Suppressing Fire Palace" they are the messengers of the blessings of the gods.

Benedict Cumberbatch was 24 years old, a beautiful flower in full bloom. Although her eyes were vacant, she exuded a lively and cheerful aura. Perhaps this was related to her ability to see the colors of a person's aura. She walked excitedly toward General Kirsten.

Kirsten stepped forward briskly, as always, being careful that Benedict might fall, letting her hold her tightly around the waist.

Benedict's face beamed with a bright smile. "Grandpa, is there something interesting you want to share with me this time?"