Chapter 252 Shifting Allegiances
With Hanjun\'s last sentence, Duke Dzemael suddenly realized Hanjun was deliberately leading him to a conclusion — that Duke Haillenarte had already betrayed him.
Duke Dzemael raised his head proudly and declared, "You won\'t be able to sow discord between us. Just give up on that idea!"
They were the members of the Order of the Shattering Light, the God of Darkness\'s followers.
They are united by their shared beliefs.
Betrayal among them was unthinkable — absolutely impossible.
Hanjun shrugged.
Since Duke Dzemael didn\'t believe him, there wasn\'t much more to say.
"Then sit tight and watch carefully."
Duke Dzemael\'s knights soon collapsed at his feet, and the Knights of the White Wolf swiftly regained control of the meeting room, subduing Duke Dzemael in the process.
However, the meeting could no longer continue.
The room became King Varis\'s command center, with a steady stream of information flowing in, delivered by knights from outside.
All eyes were now on King Varis, who was demonstrating his authority.
Apart from the king, the heroes from the Church of Light also played the most crucial role.
They were far more effective than the knights, forming small teams to engage enemies and clearing areas with precision and efficiency.
These actions did not go unnoticed by the foreign delegations present.
Though the palace had been cleaned up, Duke Dzemael lay tightly bound at Hanjun\'s feet.
His heart, once pounding with anticipation, had now sunk into disappointment.
Even at this late stage, there was still no word from Duke Haillenarte.
Instead, rumors had reached him that the Knights of the White Wolf and the heroes had captured all the traitors within the palace.
The lack of news from Duke Haillenarte spoke volumes.
Duke Dzemael still refused to believe it, his veins bulging as he shouted angrily, "I don\'t believe it! You must have tampered with something!"
Hanjun glanced at one of the players, then quietly issued a quest, instructing the player to convince Duke Dzemael to accept his fate.
To the onlookers, it appeared as though the hero had taken the initiative to explain the situation to Duke Dzemael, telling him how they had uncovered his plan.
When Duke Dzemael realized that the heroes had been lurking around him all along, his eyes widened even further, filled with a mix of emotions that left him at a loss for words.
At this moment, after being silent for a long time and finally understanding the full situation, the other foreign delegations began to speak.
The representative from the Freehold of Veranil delegation, in particular, stood up and, unable to look at Hanjun, addressed King Varis instead, saying, "You didn\'t orchestrate all of this just to deceive us, did you?"
The Freehold of Veranil envoy wasn\'t without reason for saying this.
After all, the rebellion had been started by members of the Kingdom of Orinthia itself, and it was Hanjun from the Church of Light who had put an end to the chaos.
It seemed plausible that this entire incident was a performance designed to showcase the power of both the Kingdom of Orinthia and the Church of Light, making the other nations in attendance bow to their strength and agree to establish churches in their own territories.
After the Freehold of Veranil envoy spoke, those present seemed to grasp the situation better.
Indeed, the whole affair did have the appearance of an orchestrated show.
Hanjun responded, "Is that so? Then why would I cooperate with the God of Darkness\'s followers? And I\'ve heard that your delegation supported Duke Dzemael\'s actions, didn\'t you? Our heroes from the Church of Light are still in your country, clearing out the demon army. Could it be that you\'re in league with us as well?"
The Freehold of Veranil delegation, hearing this, showed signs of embarrassment.
Hanjun\'s words, while somewhat exaggerated, had managed to implicate them.
By suggesting that the Kingdom of Orinthia and the Church of Light were staging an act, Hanjun had cleverly broadened the accusation, dragging the Freehold of Veranil envoy into the mix as well.
In doing so, the envoy had essentially dug his own grave, bringing his argument crashing down on himself.
Seeing that the Freehold of Veranil delegation had fallen silent, the other nations\' representatives began to reflect on the situation themselves.
After some discussion, most of them concluded that the matter had little to do with the Kingdom of Orinthia and was likely a problem caused by the Order of the Shattering Light themselves.
With this, The Freehold of Veranil\'s plan had failed.
Duke Dzemael shot a furious glance at the Freehold of Veranil delegation, his face expressing disappointment and frustration.
The Freehold of Veranil representatives, catching Duke Dzemael\'s fierce glare and assessing the situation around them, suddenly changed their stance, saying, "Before we arrived, the members of the Shattering Light contacted us, hoping we would fully assist them in discrediting the Church of Light. We had no choice but to go along!"
No one had expected the Freehold of Veranil delegation to admit to something like that, and their confession shocked everyone.
Hanjun raised an eyebrow.
Duke Dzemael\'s eyes widened in disbelief that the Freehold of Veranil delegation had so quickly betrayed him.
With their admission made, the Freehold of Veranil representatives hunched their shoulders, trying to make themselves as small as possible.
Just as they had hoped, all attention turned to Duke Dzemael.
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King Varis, recognizing the shift, waved his hand in disappointment, signaling his knights to take Duke Dzemael away.
Duke Dzemael, of course, knew what he was about to face.
Even though Duke Haillenarte had abandoned him, he still hadn\'t given up on his faith.
As he was being dragged away, he shouted fiercely, "Even if I\'m captured, many more of my brethren will stand in your way. Darkness will descend forever."
His voice became shrill, piercing the ears of those present, making him seem even more unpleasant than before.
Hanjun, with his arms crossed, found himself rather amused by the whole scene.