The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1675 - 472: Not Only Did the Holy Daughter Hear the Oracle, the Duke Heard It Too_2

This statement is absolutely true.

Luo Yan had no doubt that if Edward inherited the "Light of Praise," he would use its strength as unreservedly as Erin did.

This fellow is ambitious, but not a coward who cherishes life. The nobles seek pleasure, the merchants chase after money, but Edward Campbell truly deserves the title "patriot," after all, this duchy is indeed his.

The others are just joining the crowd.

"But even so—"

Edward interrupted him, sighed, and said.

"Prince Colin, let me tell you a story."

Luo Yan looked at him.

"Please go ahead."

"To understand all of this, you must first know the situation of our Campbell family."

Staring at the amber-colored liquid in his cup, Edward gathered his thoughts for a moment and slowly began to speak, telling the age-old story.

"For centuries, our Campbell family has guarded the Southern Border of the Kingdom, opening up the lands to the south of the Ten Thousand Ridges Mountain Range. Our castle was built at the entrance of the Maze, our ramparts partly constructed using the bones of our ancestors, and partly using the bones of Mechanical God followers. It's no exaggeration to say that the blood shed by our family for this kingdom is more than some nobles have drunk wine in the Royal Capital."

His voice was calm, yet carried a suppressed indignation.

"However—what have we gained from it? No honor, no trust, only endless suspicion and precaution from the Devalu family!"

Edward laughed self-deprecatingly, his smile full of cold irony, as if mocking the King's foolishness, and also mocking the fate of the Campbell family.

"In their eyes, we are not the kingdom's strong shield, but a ferocious tiger raised by their side, always wanting to cage us and pull out our claws, simply because our achievements are too dazzling, simply because we have won the people's affection!"

Luo Yan silently listened all along.

At this moment, he appropriately furrowed his brow, his voice carrying a hint of hesitation as he asked.

"How is this possible? Would the King suspect a vassal who has achieved great military accomplishments?"

It was a well-timed question, for what Edward most hoped for was the "leniency" and "integrity" from an Imperial Prince coming from the center of the Civilized World.

Or perhaps—

Ignorance.

"Possible? Haha, this is exactly what is happening to us right now!"

Edward abruptly stood up, walked to the window, turned his back on Colin, seemingly not wanting him to see his "suffering."

Luo Yan was all too familiar.

A long time ago, when his acting skills were not so polished, he would use an expressionless face to hide not knowing how to act with genuine feeling.

Over time, he developed the skill to maintain his composure remarkably.

"...The King never trusted us, even wishing that a sudden flood would come and sweep our home along with our glory into the Vortex Sea! Such suspicion, during peacetime, was only a hidden current, but when true disaster strikes, it becomes the most fatal poison!"

"When Chaos ravages the Twilight Province, when the fires of the Green Forest Army's rebellion engulf every inch of land, when tens of thousands of people die amidst famine and war, what is our King doing? He chooses to act as if nothing is happening!"

Edward's voice was suppressed low but gradually began to rise, like a torrential flood erupting after holding back for a long time.

"Because in his eyes, it was just a 'controllable wildfire'! That could burn away those damn weeds, and incidentally make his pasture more fertile!"

Luo Yan's face appropriately showed a look of shock.

"You mean... this fire was deliberately started by His Majesty the King?!"

"I have no evidence, but his actions have proven everything." Edward slowly turned around, wearing a face long brewed with indignation, "We repeatedly sent urgent reports to the Royal Capital, presenting the most critical military situation, requesting troop aid to assist our compatriots... but all have vanished like stones dropped into the sea!"

"I can even guess what he would say in the end, surely those treacherous villains blocked those letters for him, knowing everything, yet at this moment becomes an old man easily deceived!"

"He is the worst of all!"

He returned to face Colin, sitting across from the Imperial Prince, leaning forward, staring at him with blood-red eyes.

"I have no choice, Prince Colin! Neither my sister nor I have any choice! Maybe you would cold-bloodedly say, that's the King's land, if he wants to set fire to his mountain, let him burn it... but ultimately, they are our compatriots, we drink from the same Rushing River, at least half of Campbell's blood is Ryan, and half of Ryan's blood belongs to us!"

"If I hadn't let Erin go, if I commanded her to stay as her brother, the entire Twilight Province would turn to scorched earth, tens of millions of lives would become sacrifices to Chaos and the King! Maybe the Empire never cared about us, but we cannot stand idly by watching innocent compatriots die!"

Luo Yan was silently contemplating for a long time, his facial expressions transitioning from shock, to confusion, to realization... ultimately morphing into a heavy sigh.

He slowly spoke, with a voice carrying a trace of bitterness and difficulty.

"So... Princess Erin led the troops heroically only after the King refused to send reinforcements?"

"Yes!"

Edward responded without hesitation, his tone firm and resolute.

"The Governor sent us pleas for assistance, and I've sent countless letters to His Majesty Theoden, reminding him of the rampant refugees on his lands. But the result was just as you saw outside Thunder City, a horde of refugees almost overwhelming us! Even for our own sake, we had to send troops northward!"