The only regret now is that Bodric, already in his eighties, has not yet embarked on the Path of the Holy Grail, pursuing the Grail that all knights dream of.

"With four votes, His Majesty the King will certainly be unable to denounce or reconcile this Knightly War, as there are too many objections." After seeing the golden mermaid gold coins, Francois knew that the outcome was decided, so the Duke of Winford suddenly laughed: "It seems Richard will have to accept the fact of the Knightly Army's victory."

"That is indeed the fact!" Bohemond mumbled, obviously very dissatisfied with the King's attitude towards suppressing the matter.

If the King wasn't planning to suppress this matter, he wouldn't have stayed put until now; otherwise, the ten dukes wouldn't be heading towards the capital. All this shows that the King himself is not satisfied with this result, or else the King's awards and envoys would have already arrived before Laine.

Picking up a glass of red wine, Francois gently swirled the crimson liquid, and the Duke of Winford seemed to be pondering: "Now, let me think, what will Richard do?"

"Firstly, he cannot punish Laine privately, otherwise it would surely alarm the Holy Grail Knight Order and the Lady."

"Then, with four or more dukes opposing, he cannot classify the Knightly War as a failure at the Dukes' Council, especially amid such painful losses, His Majesty the King needs a victory to maintain his prestige."

"Finally, no one would want to see the armies of Winford and Bastogne return in triumph. We have seized the vast accumulation of the Beastman over two hundred years, our army is intact, well-organized, and minor losses can't compare with the army honed by blood and fire; the young men got their training, and the peasants gained much, soldiers who participated in the war will no longer fear those beasts in the forests."

Bohemond also sighed: "Having gained so many benefits, no one would willingly bestow the glory of victory and the primary credit for destroying Ten Thousand Demon Rock upon us..."

"Therefore, Richard needs a model, a model of victory, and this model won't be Laine..." The face of the Duke of Winford was full of wisdom as he squinted his eyes and smiled meaningfully: "Since the glory cannot be given to the living, it will be given to the dead."

"The dead are without fault, the dead cannot be blamed, Adelaide's foolishness leading to the entire army's annihilation is not worth encouraging, but Angxi, who fought to the last and never betrayed the Lady and the King, is different."

Upon saying this, astute individuals like Laine and Bohemond and the Kingdom Knights around them mostly understood.

"So, Angxi will become this hero, and Richard also needs Angxi to be this hero." Laine touched his chin and understood: "So it will be portrayed like this, Marquis Angxi sacrificed himself to allow us to successfully surprise attack Ten Thousand Demon Rock, he led the Knightly Army to firmly entangle the Beastman Army, buying us the chance to surprise attack Ten Thousand Demon Rock."

"Everything was planned, a sacrifice made by Marquis Angxi to reverse the tide after Adelaide's annihilation. Undoubtedly, he should be credited with the major meritorious service for destroying Ten Thousand Demon Rock."

"Indeed it is." Bohemond and Francois both turned their gazes on Laine.

They all clearly implied that the time for Laine to choose had come; would this young Holy Grail Knight seize all the honor of this Knightly War to become the hero of the whole Kingdom?

Or would he perhaps retreat a step?

In any case, both dukes would strive fully on his behalf.

Meanwhile, Laine also pondered over the pros and cons. If possible, of course, he wished to accumulate enough prestige to become the pivotal figure in this Knightly War, the hero leading the Kingdom to reverse its fortunes.

But the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lake Fairy deeply understood that some things were far from simple as they appeared. As a living person, a Living Saint, Laine could not compete for credit with the dead, for doing so would offend other great nobles of the Knight Kingdom and affect his prestige, even though he was the one who had turned the tide.

Moreover, if he insisted on competing and exposing the truth, he would have to bear one consequence: the dukes would bicker over his issue, and the whole Kingdom would be accelerated towards dissent due to this bickering. The dukes were already rife with contradictions, and from a big-picture perspective, this was not the outcome Laine wished to see. Countless dangers and darknesses were looming; he could not let his personal interests plunge the Kingdom into accelerated division.

This would also be unbeneficial for his future.

Furthermore, Marquis Angxi never wavered in his faith in the Lake Fairy, and if it hadn't been for him firmly pinning down the elites and main forces of the Beastmen till the end, Laine would surely not have had the opportunity to surprise attack Ten Thousand Demon Rock. Objectively, Marquis Angxi contributed greatly to the Pyrrhic victory, and to overturn the table could even incur the displeasure of the Lake Fairy.

Soon, Laine had his answer. The Holy Grail Knight sighed lightly and shifted his sitting position: "It seems we must hold a state funeral for this young marquis?"

"He should be posthumously awarded a First-class Holy Grail Medal, but as for you...we will fully strive for a Second-class Iris Medal for you." Francois breathed a sigh of relief.

He liked and appreciated this young man even more.

This young man possessed many virtues not found in others; the knightly virtues were embodied in him, and more importantly, he possessed an outstanding talent: political maturity, knowing what he wanted, what he could gain, and what needed to be given.

Only such an exceptional young man is worthy of the title of the Fairy's Divine Chosen Champion, with formidable strength, decisive command, inscrutable background energy, and excellent internal affairs capability.

Francois, of course, knew of his daughter Surya's frequent contacts with Laine, and as a duke, he always silently consented, compared to those overly dramatic and arrogant young knights, engrossed in luxurious enjoyments or absorbed in martial practices, his vassal satisfied him.

Yes...in all senses of satisfaction.

Perhaps he could alter his attitude slightly in the future.

"Then how much true gold and silver will our King offer to keep our Lord Laine silent?" Bohemond also smiled.

"It certainly can't be a small amount, otherwise, I wouldn't agree to it!" Laine forced a smile, still feeling some regret: "We can't have conquered Ten Thousand Demon Rock for nothing, right?"

"Rest assured, Laine." Francois's expression turned serious, and the Duke of Winford and the Red Dragon Duke exchanged glances and nodded.

"To silence us, Richard must provide sufficient cost and rewards."

"We don't want any benefits, it's all for you."

"This is your reward for bringing the army back and destroying Ten Thousand Demon Rock; you deserve all the things."

"Hmm!" Laine nodded heavily.

The Round Table meeting thus concluded.

The next day, they set off for Kulona. This was Laine's second time arriving at the capital of Brittania.

Crossing the Sannes River, one of the greatest city wonders of the Old World appeared in front of Laine once again. After entering the city, Francois and Bohemond immediately proceeded to the Royal Palace, where the dukes would define the Knightly War and hold final discussions.

Meanwhile, Laine stayed at the Kulona Branch of the Holy Grail Knight Order, quietly waiting for the results to be announced.

The simple room was clean and tidy with good living conditions, paintings hung on the walls, the floor was carpeted, and the transparent glazed windows turned the sunlight outside into colorful hues, illuminating the room. Laine exhaled softly, pulled a chair over, sat down, and enjoyed this moment of tranquility.

"Knock, knock, knock~" Within less than five minutes, his door was knocked upon.

At this time, who could it be?

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