The witch thought I am a Demon God
Chapter 858 - 448: The King’s Weakness and The Emperor’s Fury_2

Chapter 858: Chapter 448: The King’s Weakness and The Emperor’s Fury_2

In certain hundred-person sections of the Citizen Assembly’s audience, they began to complain to each other, for this vote marked them as outcasts, drawing sidelong glances.

Some said they only thought that everyone would vote for Ivita, so they wanted to balance the votes, never expecting to overshoot while doing so.

Regardless, once the Citizen Assembly concluded, it signified that Ivita had gained the support of the Aristocratic Commercial Republic.

And the old men of the Ten-Person Council, who had been monitoring the entire Citizen Assembly outcome via the fountain rainclouds above, upon seeing this result, were slightly surprised but had all made up their minds.

"Do you really think Mr. Akinuo Baros is such a fool, to openly infuriate everyone at the Citizen Assembly? He doesn’t seem to be that kind of person to me."

"Heh, you must be joking, sir. Whether he is that kind of person is no longer important, what matters is that our citizens have developed an extreme hatred for the Empire and the current King of Alsace. Although I don’t know how Mr. Ivita managed to circumvent the spirit of the Republic, he certainly didn’t cross the line."

"The reason we are all hesitating is because, isn’t our greatest enemy the Imperial Emperor Aoyue III? Although he hasn’t made a move against us yet, he indeed has that tendency."

"However, Mr. Ivita’s actions have helped us make up our minds to directly confront the alliance of the Imperial Emperor and the King of Alsace."

An elderly man, wearing a black top hat and flamboyantly dressed in a ruff collar cloak, like the most typical old gentleman, said to everyone, "Since the most experienced in governance among us have no objections, let’s start forming a War Committee concerning Alsace’s restoration war."

"I will serve as the chairman of the War Committee. At the same time, let’s have the Senate propose a bill to set aside a treasury to support this war and get this bill passed by the full vote at the Citizen Assembly as soon as possible."

Horace Dunne finally said, "But, we still need to talk with Ivita about something, if we help him fulfill the conditions for war victory."

"I think the conditions should be of two types, one is the condition for him to reclaim the throne of Alsace, and the other is the condition that we help him seize the Imperial throne."

All the other nine people present raised their eyebrows.

None of them had expected Horace Dunne to think so far ahead.

But upon reflection, everyone realized that it might be the case, as Ivita himself has the right to claim succession to the Emperor, and now he has completely fallen out with Emperor Aoyue III.

Even if he didn’t take the throne himself, he could possibly help his cousin Germanicus seize the throne.

However, when these people thought of Germanicus, rather dark thoughts emerged in their minds.

Would the eagle in the sky really like to share its spoils with anyone?

...

Ivita stayed in the Republic for another five days, during which time he succeeded in creating five types of potions for the Soul of Darkness and, due to potion-making, his understanding of magic deepened, and his strength saw a slight improvement.

In this period, the Belisarius Commercial Republic and the Florcana Commercial Republic, upon discovering that the Aristocratic Commercial Republic had already allied with Ivita, finally made up their minds in succession, preparing to stand with Ivita against the Imperial Emperor and the King of Alsace.

Ivita knew that The Three Republics had always feared the Empire would move south and reclaim their rule, as the free cities and republics on the peninsula had once been vassals under the Empire’s banner.

It was only because of the struggle between the emperor and the divine authority of The Church that the republics could break free from the emperor’s feudal bonds and embark on their paths of independence.

Therefore, that worthless King of Alsace had made a serious mistake.

Having obtained the help of Emperor Aoyue III, he was doomed to be enemies with those opposed to the Emperor.

Ivita heard that Henry VII, who had been relaxing, upon learning that The Three Republics stood with Ivita, immediately shattered the skull of the managing Earl in the court with the King’s Right Wand.

Moreover, Henry VII suddenly abandoned his usual lazy demeanor and began to call ministers to meetings every day, discussing how to deal with him.

Nowadays, Henry VII is constantly in a rage, suspecting those around him of disloyalty.

During this time, Henry VII secretly wrote to Ivita again—he expressed that if Ivita publicly renounced his claim to the throne, he would consider marrying his daughter to him, and if his daughter bore a son, he would eventually pass on the position of King to his grandson, the daughter’s firstborn son.

Henry VII believed this to be a generous offer, but Ivita found it utterly ludicrous.

"The surrender faction will all meet with bad ends."

"Only if one were utterly foolish would they agree to such conditions and let themselves fall into a disadvantageous and passive plight."

"The moment I dare to agree, my allies would scatter in an instant."

"However, Ivita gradually understood what sort of person Henry VII was."

"He was a weak-willed fool and a quick victory enthusiast."

"At first, he thinks the enemy is weak, underestimating them, until he finds out that the enemy is not feeble, in fact, very strong, then he panics, feels that the enemy is invincible, and starts to lean toward surrender."

"Such a person is easy to deal with, nothing more than a pure waste."

"The trouble lies with Emperor Aoyue III and the Alsace Imperial Guards who propped up Henry VII."

"On the desk in the mansion, Ivita glanced over Emperor Aoyue III’s letter, the envelope embellished with the unique golden seal of the emperor, its platinum-like color extraordinarily opulent. It is said that the production of such a seal requires twenty skilled craftsmen half a year to complete."

"However, lately, the emperor has been using up too much of this sealing wax on me; I wonder if his supplies are sufficient."

"In the letter, Aoyue III cursed me, condemning me as a despicable wizard unworthy of being a believer. A person who made a pact with Hell, playing with demonic powers, will only be annihilated by the Church."

"In his letter, Aoyue III proudly said, ’Poor Alsace, it seems you haven’t noticed the conflict between the Republic and the Church. Once you have the support of one side, you are bound to offend the other.’"

"’Moreover, your identity is so vulnerable in front of the Church. Where would a legitimate king engage in witchcraft, straying away from the grace of the God of All Things?’"

"’You’ve already greatly displeased the Church without realizing it. And now, my envoy is on the way to the Papal Country. I am the Emperor of the Empire, and with just a slight concession of power to the Pope and the Church, I will immediately gain the Church’s support.’"

"’The legitimacy of a ruler comes from the Church. Without the Church’s affirmation, what could your ancestral ties to the Alsace royal bloodline do for you?’"

"Ivita looked at this letter, rendered speechless."

"It seems Aoyue III is about to pull his usual trick—trading imperial privileges for papal rights."

"A weak emperor to begin with, wouldn’t this make him even more vulnerable?"

"Ivita began to ponder the situation, but the self-destructive claims of Aoyue III could indeed win over the Pope whom he had previously offended."

"This must not be overlooked."

"Furthermore, he reminded me of something quite right."

"There are some conflicts between the Church and the Republic. This is mainly because the Republic is too close to the Papal Country, and any neighboring countries would have conflicts."

"But it’s not as troublesome as Aoyue III claims."

"I haven’t made a pact with Hell," Ivan said. "Hell’s reaction may take some time, but this actually becomes my advantage. If I haven’t formed an alliance with Hell, then I am just an ordinary magic user, nothing significant. I can enter the Papal Country openly and legitimately."

"But having come into contact with the divine light in the Papal Country, I wouldn’t be able to go to the Tomb of the Gods for several years. So, I need to visit the Tomb of the Gods first."

"Ivita contemplated for a moment; indeed, he had one advantage that Aoyue III lacked."

"That is, the proud Aoyue III would probably never consider how to show that he is a devout believer; he even thinks he is closer to the divine than the Pope and possesses more rights. How could he ever secure the friendship of the Church?"

"However, I am different; I wouldn’t mind pretending to be a zealous believer for the sake of my rule."

"If mere pretense could bring the support of a large military force, then why wouldn’t I be willing?"

"Ivita nodded. ’Yes, I shall assume the guise of a devout believer. Walk to the Church and let the Church and its followers fight for me.’"