The indifferent words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly extinguishing the courage fueled by rage within Hattar... The approaching figure carried an indescribable oppressiveness, causing the air around to congeal.
I am the King of Hattar!
Hattar's face showed panic, and he instinctively tried to rebuke, but his body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and even opening his mouth became a luxury.
A nameless chill spread from the depths of his spine, and Hattar sat clumsily on the throne, only able to watch helplessly as the other's right hand reached toward his crowned head.
"Uncontrolled power will eventually bring disaster to the kingdom!"
At that moment, as the hand reached him, Hattar recalled the dying warning of King Bazzer, and a deep regret surged in his heart.
You were right, Father!
Hattar profoundly regretted why he had ever cooperated with these 'evil' wizards, leading his kingdom to ruin, but it was obviously too late for regrets now, under the suppression of a great Wizard, even as a Bloodline Knight, he had no ability to resist, and Lynn placed his hand very smoothly on his crowned head.
Spiritual Art— "Memory Retrieval"
Various complicated fragments of memory flooded in like a tide, the other's anger, humiliation, unwillingness all laid bare before Lynn, accompanied by quite a few secret pieces of information.
"Gustav..." Lynn murmured softly.
Although he had long suspected that the church was behind it all, he had not expected that a high-ranking church official had secretly infiltrated the kingdom, orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.
This was also a flaw in the airship cruising protective system, which could only detect large-scale personnel entry; if there was only one person and he was powerful and knew how to disguise, then it would not be easy to root him out.
They also couldn't cover the entire border area with magic barriers that detect divine arts fluctuations.
Of course, the new King thought more than just strictly following the orders of the Divine Punishment Army Commander Gustav, to him the church and the wizards were both obstacles that needed to be removed from above the monarchy!
If he could make the limited number of wizards and the church fight each other to mutual destruction, then naturally there would be no one capable of managing such a large kingdom or even the entire empire, which would allow monarchy to regain its peak.
It must be said, the idea was quite beautiful, just a pity that his planning and layout skills were so poor.
Hattar thought he was hiding behind the scenes, letting Duke Gard, whom he trusted the most, contact Gustav, using people like Mortan as pawns; even if they failed, he himself would not be affected, unaware that his own personal attendants had long been bought off!
Lynn slowly withdrew his hand, and such violent extraction of memories completely destroyed Hattar's brain. The King of Hattar just drooled from the corner of his mouth, his body slack as he tumbled from the throne, and he was soon silent.
The palace immediately fell into a death-like silence, and no one could have imagined that this young wizard dared to kill a king in public, and did so with such ease, as if merely squashing an ant.
Lynn looked at the body of the new King and shook his head, if only the other had been willing to accept reform, he might have become like someone else, from a supreme king, an emperor, to a citizen, no, precisely a wealthy merchant with inexhaustible savings!
But considering Hattar's nature, the likelihood was sadly low…
As he was pondering, an untimely voice suddenly entered his ears.
The speaker was a shrewd kingdom minister, who after a brief period of shock and awe quickly kneeled down, loudly crying out.
"The uncrowned king of Hattar, we offer you our sincere respects!"
Following that, over a hundred kingdom ministers also came to their senses, all kneeling on the ground, either shouting in celebration of the new king's ascension or actively expressing their steadfast positions, even loudly denouncing the inept rule of the former King Hattar...
In just over ten seconds, the originally silent palace hall had become very lively.
"You all seem to have misunderstood something," Lynn's voice slowly rose in the hall, suppressing the noisy flattery.
The kneeling ministers looked at each other, not quite understanding the meaning of these words. Could it be that the Wizard Council was planning to support another compliant noble as before?
Just as some were contemplating this, Lynn's words came through again.
"From today onward, the Kingdom of Hattar will no longer need a so-called king!"
As these words were spoken, the people present showed shocked expressions, and it took them a long while to react. They couldn't comprehend what a kingdom without a king would look like; wouldn't everything be thrown into disarray?
"Wizard, then who will manage the kingdom, and who will make the appointments," a kingdom minister said, trembling slightly.
"From now on, all major matters of the kingdom will be decided by a council vote," Lynn replied casually. "As for the appointment of local grassroots managers... let's conduct examinations for that!"
The examination selection system, although criticized in the previous world, undeniably provided a relatively fair promotion path for the lower classes.
At least in this dark otherworld, it was enough to bring some light!
Ever since the council had conquered the southern and central regions of the kingdom, Lynn had started establishing schools for commoners. Although a year was not enough to teach much, the grassroots managers didn't need to possess profound knowledge; being able to read and understand orders, and knowing how to handle some daily affairs was enough.
Together with those small nobles willing to embrace reform and the new world, they could barely maintain the operation of the kingdom.
"The following matters will be up to you to conclude, Laud!"
After leaving a command with his magic projection in the royal palace hall, Lynn vanished from the spot.
Seeing this king-slaying plague disappear, the kneeling kingdom ministers in the hall breathed a sigh of relief, but they soon realized they had celebrated too soon. Laud waved his hand, and the fierce musketeers immediately rushed forward, binding and dragging them away.
According to the intelligence of the secret agents, many of these ministers had participated in the recent Grain War.
The very few ministers who had not been captured had been terrified to the point of wetting their trousers, tremblingly lying on the ground, not daring to speak. They all understood that, from now on, the kingdom was going to see drastic changes!
The grand debt collection operation continued for a whole week before coming to an end, with countless great nobles and wealthy merchants captured, killed, or brought to ruin.
The citizens of the kingdom, watching the gigantic piles of confiscated grain, could not help but applaud.
The previously soaring grain prices had left everyone in fear of famine. Despite the workshops and schools offering them three meals a day for free, no one knew how long this situation would last. If the council were to stop the food supply, with their savings, they feared they couldn't even afford a few bags of white bread.
In addition to that, there was another shocking piece of news: the king of Hattar, Hattar, had died suddenly. The hundred-year-reign of the Bazzer family, spanning three generations, had thus come to an end. From now on, all affairs of the kingdom would be decided by the council!
As for the sudden death of the king, rumors had it that it was related to the fugitive Duke Gard, who had colluded with the church and some kingdom nobles to incite this Grain Crisis, even going so far as to attempt an assassination of the king, aiming to plunge the entire kingdom into chaos and return its three million citizens under the dark rule of the church!