Miss Witch, it's time to clean up the entries

A heavy snow brought winter back to Yalong City, which was about to enter spring, and the guards had to put on cotton-padded armor.

High-ranking knights received orders to rush to 22 counties to temporarily replace the guardian witches, which was unheard of since the founding of the empire. Many knights began to feel uneasy, worrying that something major was about to happen to the empire.

Although knights are powerful, compared to witches who are good at using magic and monsters with tenacious vitality, they are still flesh and blood after all.

Magical trains started, taking the knights away from Yalong City.

Innocent and ignorant children were still immersed in the afterglow of the festival, stacking snow into various shapes on the streets, chasing and frolicking, and cheerful laughter filled the city square.

A wandering poet played the violin, singing about lost love and youth, and singing about the recently concluded expedition.

The owner of the bakery became very busy because of the cold weather, and while working hard, he looked forward to the price of grain falling, so that he could earn more.

The blacksmith at the blacksmith shop leaned against the door, smoking welding fumes idly, watching the luxurious carriages pass by.

The tavern door was open, hoping that those noble ladies who were heartbroken because of the engagement of Ian Moria and Dorothy Hall would patronize their shop and get drunk.

The chimes of the church still rang as usual, and devout believers were still praying, as if the Pope's betrayal had become history.

"According to convention, after the Creed Festival, people from the five major families should leave the royal capital and return to their fiefdoms. This year, none of them have left. I heard that they all live in the royal palace."

"This year is a special situation. His Majesty the Emperor is getting married, so shouldn't everyone stay to congratulate him? They will definitely leave in a couple of days."

"I don't think so. The Moria family and the Hall family are married. Maybe other families are also preparing for marriage, so they haven't left."

"I always feel uneasy when they stay in the royal capital. I really hope they go back quickly, otherwise what will happen if the Burns Empire attacks?"

"What is there to worry about? Even if there is no large army on the border, there are still witches guarding it."

"Hey, maybe Duke Burke wants to find a young and beautiful wife. He and Grand Duke Moria are both famous playboys."

People were discussing the current situation, tirelessly discussing the big figures of the Creed families.

Parker wanted to defend his grandfather, but considering the complexity of the people here, it was best not to reveal his identity. He lowered the brim of his hood and continued to drink.

He seemed to be in a bad mood because he hadn't seen the Forest Witch, Ashley.

Since Ashley testified in court, she had never appeared in Parker's sight again.

The Guardian Bureau is now as solid as a bucket, with no loopholes to exploit, prohibiting anyone from entering, which made him worry about the situation of the witches.

Unfortunately, he hasn't seen Ian lately either, and he can't even ask Ian for help.

After drinking two glasses of strong wine, Parker stood up and walked into the wind and snow outside the tavern.

He came to the Guardian Bureau again, but this time it was the back door.

The skills of a four-star knight were agile enough. He stepped on the stone piers protruding from the wall, climbed over the courtyard wall, and poked his head out, seeing the witches who were still training.

The witches didn't seem to notice him, and they were practicing very intently.

Parker mustered his courage and quietly climbed over the wall.

Several times before, he had been caught on the spot by the witches and then thrown out mercilessly.

If it were a normal person, after being warned by the witch, they would not dare to do this and come to the Guardian Bureau again.

But Parker relied on the fact that he was a descendant of the Moria family, and even the witches would not easily attack him, so he repeatedly refused to be reformed.

"I must see Ashley today!"

Parker muttered to himself silently, his footsteps already lightly landing on the ground.

Just as he was benefiting from not being discovered immediately, the money bag hanging on a low branch because of climbing over the wall suddenly fell to the ground.

The heavy money bag made a dull sound.

Parker gasped.

"It's over, I've been discovered again."

He said so, but found that no witch approached him, as if he was air.

What's the situation?

Parker picked up the money bag and carefully passed through the backyard.

At first, he thought he was disguised well, but the further he went into the Guardian Bureau, the stranger he felt.

All the guards and witches were doing their own things, as if they didn't see him at all.

He mustered his courage and asked, but was still ignored.

It wasn't until Parker found that his body could pass through their bodies at will that he realized that the entire Guardian Bureau was empty.

That's right, the people here are all phantoms!

These shadows, completely unable to communicate, can only continue to do a certain repetitive thing.

If you don't go inside the Guardian Bureau, you can't find it from the outside at all.

"What is going on here?"

A sense of fear rose in Parker's heart, and he quickened his pace and ran towards the Red Tower.

"Ashley, Milia, Anita, Chloe, Kylie, Rachel, Lisa, Sophie, Shirley, Blair, you must be okay."

These witches were originally imprisoned in the Red Tower.

Although they were tainted witnesses and made up for their mistakes, they were resurrected by Randle after all and participated in the assassination of Ian, so they were sentenced to imprisonment in the Red Tower for 3 years.

Parker ignored the serious-looking guards and pushed open the door.

These phantom guards did not stop Parker, because they were illusory beings and had no communication with real humans.

Parker ran up the spiral staircase and came to the room where Ashley was originally imprisoned.

He knocked on the door, but no one responded.

He forcibly broke the door open, and Ashley was sitting there quietly.

Parker breathed a sigh of relief, a relieved smile appearing on his face,

"Ashley, it's great that you're still here. Tell me, what happened to the Guardian Bureau?"

......

A girl in a green cloak braved the wind and snow, passed through narrow alleys, and passed through bustling streets, finally arriving at the gate of Alex Castle, but was stopped by the guards.

"This is the Duke's Mansion, no idlers are allowed to approach."

The guard said sternly.

The girl took off her hood, revealing a head of dark green hair,

"I am Ashley, I want to see Parker Moria."

"Young Master Parker?"

The guard looked suspiciously at the beautiful girl, suspecting that this was a romantic debt owed by his young master outside,

"Young Master Parker is out, please come again next time. The Duke's Mansion is holding an important banquet, and you cannot enter without an invitation."

Probably because Ashley was very beautiful, the guard's tone became much gentler.

The Forest Witch Ashley frowned, she put on her hat, "I'll wait for him here, can I?"

"Okay."

The guards did not refuse.

At this time, a grand banquet was indeed being held in the Duke's Mansion.

Inside the banquet hall, candlelight flickered, and it was magnificent.

The long banquet table was covered with a heavy red silk tablecloth, on which were placed exquisite silverware and crystal glasses, shimmering softly in the dim light.

Plates of delicacies carefully prepared with precious ingredients were placed on the table, from roast lamb to crispy foie gras, to various pastries dotted with rare caviar, exuding an irresistible aroma, filling the entire hall.

Maids in black and white long skirts respectfully shuttled among the guests, pouring mellow wines from distant vineyards for the distinguished guests.

The Moria family invited all the Creed families to celebrate Ian and Dorothy's engagement together.

Even the five major Creed families had no reason not to attend, even if they had privately formed an alliance of the five major families, wanting to eliminate the Moria family and the Hall family and divide their gifts, but the superficial work still had to be done.

Before completely tearing face, the major families must maintain decency on the surface.

Even Augustus had to bring the new Queen Emma to attend the banquet.

On the one hand, it was to stabilize the Moria family and the Hall family, so that they would mistakenly judge their attitude and ensure the apparent harmony of the empire, and on the other hand, it was to test the attitude of Moria and Hall.

"His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Queen have arrived."

"Duke Burke has arrived."

"Earl Edward has arrived."

"Earl Simmons has arrived."

"Earl Lane has arrived."

"Duke Frank has arrived."

As the big figures took their seats, the banquet officially began.

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"Thank you for Your Majesty's presence, I thought Dorothy would not be able to get Your Majesty's blessing."

Earl Hall said with a smile.

Dorothy was wearing a simple white long skirt today, her purple hair was up, and she was wearing an exquisite tiara, looking holy and beautiful, like a blooming snow lotus.

Compared to Dorothy, Emma's dress was more luxurious, but there was less agility and vitality between her eyebrows, and she was more like a canary raised in a cage.

As for the female companions brought by other big figures, they were even more eclipsed.

Even if they put on a lot of powder on their faces, with heavy makeup, wearing gorgeous clothes, and wearing various precious jewels, they still couldn't change the difference in age and appearance.

Dorothy and Emma were young, and they were recognized beauties.

In the past, they would attend such occasions hand in hand.

Now the two were sitting at opposite ends of the long table, in two camps.

"Congratulations, Dorothy."

Aukuras had a bright smile on his face, as if he were sincerely blessing Dorothy.

However, Dorothy knew Aukuras very well. The more he smiled like that, the more it proved that he harbored malice in his heart.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I hope my engagement with Ian will not affect your continued trust in the Hall family."

"It won't."

Aukuras said.

Along with Aukuras's blessings, the heads of the five major families also offered their blessings, maintaining superficial harmony.

"Following the marriage between the Burke family and the Frank family, the Moria family and the Hall family are also marrying. The Creed families will only become closer and closer in the future. Let us toast to a bright future for everyone."

Duke Burke raised his glass with a smile.

Everyone followed suit and raised their glasses.

"Thank you for your blessings. Cheers to our bright future."

Ian raised his glass and said.

"Cheers to our bright future."

Everyone echoed.

"Your Majesty, please celebrate with me. I have successfully been promoted to an Eight-Star War Knight."

Grand Duke Moria suddenly said.

The banquet hall instantly fell silent. After a brief moment of silence, enthusiastic cheers erupted.

"That's wonderful! Congratulations, Prime Minister!"

"This is truly great news! The Prime Minister is indeed a pillar of the empire!"

"It has been many years since an Eight-Star War Knight has appeared."

The guests offered their blessings and praises.

"This is all thanks to the expeditionary war. It was Your Majesty who gave me the opportunity to be promoted."

Grand Duke Moria said.

Aukuras tried hard to restrain his emotions and squeezed out a smile.

The people of the five Creed families had long known about Grand Duke Moria and Hall's promotion to Eight-Star War Knights. Grand Duke Moria's initiative to speak out this time made them somewhat puzzled.

Was he going to reveal his hand? Or was he still loyal to the empire?

For the Frank family, if the Moria family, most importantly Ian, was willing to sign a slave contract with them and pledge allegiance to the Frank family for generations, they would be willing to continue accepting the Moria family.

But the Moria family was so proud, how could they become slaves of the Frank family?

So there was no basis for negotiation between the two sides.

What Aukuras wanted was different from what the families wanted. He wanted Ian to die, to take away everything that belonged to Ian, or rather, everything that Ian had taken from him.

Emma also wanted Ian to die. The two sides had irreconcilable conflicts.

The five Creed families only wanted the Blessed Relic. By controlling the Blessed Relic, they would control the power of speech.

They feared that the two major families would become too powerful, leading to a shift in power.

"Actually, I have also been promoted to an Eight-Star War Knight."

Hall said slowly.

The heads of the five Creed families clearly already knew this fact, but they had to pretend to be surprised again, followed by another round of perfunctory socializing.

"Enough."

Grand Duke Moria put down his glass. "Everyone doesn't need to act anymore. I know what you want."

Grand Duke Moria waved his hand, and the servants quickly retreated, closing the doors of the banquet hall.

"Prime Minister, what do you want to do?"

Aukuras narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously.

"I want everyone to be more honest. I know that you have secretly held meetings and formed an alliance to isolate me and Hall. But I must tell you that this is the most foolish idea. If Hall and I fight in the royal capital, we will turn Yalong City into ruins. If all seven Creed families are involved, then the entire Holy Empire will be plunged into war and divided. Is this what the Frank family wants to see?"

Grand Duke Moria was straightforward, without any conspiracy, which surprised Aukuras.

The heads of the five Creed families were also surprised.

They guessed that Aukuras must have spies from the Moria family or the Hall family around him.

But since they already knew, there was no need to pretend anymore.

"Bain Hall, you deceived His Majesty the Emperor and launched the expeditionary war. You have violated the laws of the empire. Shouldn't you feel remorse for your despicable behavior?"

Seth Frank asked.

"I'm sorry, although this matter is indeed related to me, the matter is not what you think. The person who violated the imperial law has already been killed."

Earl Hall said.

"Even if Hall is really guilty, he is now one of the empire's highest combat powers. According to Article 3 of the Holy Law, he can obtain immunity. So now there is no need to investigate whether he induced His Majesty the Emperor to launch the war, and if His Majesty the Emperor does not want war, no one's inducement will work."

Grand Duke Moria's deep blue pupils were like a deep pool, reflecting everyone's faces.

"What I want to talk about now is the issue of power distribution."