Chapter 199: Don’t blame me then? Chapter 199: Don’t blame me then? I must say, by this point, the audience had gone sour.
No, it should be said that it had soured once again.
Originally, this was a ceremony to bestow rewards upon those who had performed meritorious service.
Later, due to the self-interest and thoughts of the Great Nobles, this ceremony to bestow rewards turned into a battlefield of political power and vested interests.
But now, because of Shane, this battlefield had returned to being a ceremony of bestowing rewards, and it was a ceremony where everyone was persuading Shane to accept the rewards.
In the end, all the Nobles, along with Anxi, began urging Shane to accept the rewards.
There was no helping it, if they didn’t let Shane accept the rewards, they would collapse.
Throughout, Shane maintained an air of refusing rewards whether he had merits or not, delivering various grand and righteous speeches, almost turning him into a saint. He was just short of ascending on the spot and becoming the savior.
Under the baptism of Shane’s righteous rhetoric, the Nobles felt almost brainwashed, even harboring grand aspirations of sacrificing themselves for the Kingdom.
This genuinely frightened many Nobles, who shook their heads vigorously, unwilling to accept these super brainwashing righteous speeches, but the words from Shane’s mouth just kept coming, one set after another, without repetition, truly capable of shaking every steadfast belief in their hearts.
Under such circumstances, some Nobles even began to feel ashamed, thinking they had contributed nothing to the country, that they were just parasites with no use at all, living completely as a waste of resources—these thoughts greatly alarmed them.
So, they no longer cared about any benefits; preserving their sanity from being washed to a Swiss cheese-like state was most important.
Thus, everyone began to advise Shane, but Shane kept refusing, spouting one selfless theory after another, nearly swaying even Pope Yule’s faith.
In the end, Anxi even wanted to forcibly put the title on Shane’s head.
But at that time, Shane still had something to say.
“No, no, this incident is still replete with doubts; I couldn’t eliminate the possibility that I am a problematic individual, this is what the Duke said, everyone was just agreeing, how could we go back on our words now?”
“What if I am actually a spy from the Old Demon Clan Faction? What if that whole scene was a play I directed and acted out? What if the Old Demon Clan Faction simply wanted to plant their eyes and ears in the Kingdom to cause destruction?”
“What? You say a spy would never kill someone from the Old Demon Clan Faction? You’re thinking too much. Beddo is just one branch of the Old Demon Clan Faction, and it’s already in decline. If sacrificing a fallen comrade can achieve the goal of infiltrating the Kingdom’s power, the rest of the Old Demon Clan Faction would certainly be happy to do so.”
“Therefore, someone as suspicious as me should never be made a Noble. Just give me a few Magic Books as a reward and send me on my way.”
Shane’s words left everyone dumbfounded and made Barry’s face sink like water, looking exceedingly ugly.
Because of Shane’s argument, all of the dissatisfaction was directed at Barry.
“It’s all Duke Sterling’s fault, why stir up trouble for no reason?”
“Just let the Devil have his reward, what’s the big deal?”
“After all, even if it’s a title, a mere Baron poses no threat to us, right?”
“For Princess Luosilusti, there’s hardly any difference between a Noble of the Baron Level and an ordinary Adventurer; he couldn’t become legitimate and an equal match just because he got the title of a Baron, could he?”
“If only we had just let him have the reward.”
“Really brought this on ourselves.”
Some Nobles began to blame Barry, and some regretted their own decisions, a complete turnaround from their initial attitudes.
As a result, under continuous scorn from Barry and the utterly speechless Anxi, persuaded by Shane, there was no way to bestow the title on Shane.
After being criticized to this extent, one surely couldn’t still force the title onto someone, right?
What have the nobles of that kingdom become, if not a bunch of money-losing goods?
And so, as time went on, Anxi himself was almost brainwashed by Shane, suffering from a severe headache, and hastily ended the audience with urgency.
This audience, in the end, was abruptly ended amidst such farce.
The outcome of the audience was also quite straightforward.
Beren and his group were rewarded for their merits; some were granted precious magic weapons, magic tools, or magic potions, while others were given wealth, that is, money, making the journey a complete success.
Shane was no exception. By the king’s suggestion, he had already obtained the privilege to enter the Royal Palace’s Underground Magic Book Library, where he could freely peruse the collections gathered from the kingdom and even the world. Among them were some rare books on magic series, and aside from the Forbidden Book Library sealed against touch, Shane was free to learn anything he wished, provided he neither copied nor took any books out of the library. He was given one month’s time.
Furthermore, the Temple and the Demon Clan gave Shane rewards in the form of gratitude for this matter.
The Temple promised Shane an opportunity to enter the Inner Sanctum once.
The Demon Clan presented him with a rare magic wand, reputed to be quite costly.
“I represent the Temple and welcome Lord Shane to visit at any time.”
Yule maintained a kind and gentle demeanor as he spoke these words to Shane.
“Shane, is it? Hmm, I’ll remember that name.”
Jiasinta smiled at Shane, leaving these words behind before she departed.
Furthermore, after the audience concluded, First Princess Liyadella sought out Shane.
“You really are an interesting man. Come and visit my sleeping chamber when you have time.”
The Princess smiled coyly at Shane and then, with a striking female knight, drifted away.
The other nobles couldn’t wait to leave Shane, hurrying back to re-read books on noble upbringing, to correct their nearly saint-like thought processes, and fled as if escaping.
Barry had disappeared at some unknown point.
Shane, of course, was quite pleased, leaving the Audience Hall with Vivian and others, whose expressions were a mixture of laughter and tears.
However, before leaving, Shane felt a gaze heavy with intense hostility directed at him.
Shane paused in his tracks, looking up, but could only see the knights of the Guard Knight Order still in formation.
The earlier gaze and indeed the hostility had disappeared without a trace.
Shane narrowed his eyes and suddenly smiled.
“Well then, I hope you don’t trouble me again.”
Given today’s overly formal settings, I couldn’t resort to force, which is why I indulged you in a verbal spar.
If it were another occasion…
“Don’t blame me, alright?”
Muttering to himself, Shane then turned and left.
It was only then that a young knight in the front ranks of the Guard Knight Order turned his gaze back, looking in the direction Shane had left, and then at Luoqi, who was chatting with Liyadella, his hand trembling.
Upon closer inspection, that hand was clenched so tightly that it bled.
The bright red blood dripping down reflected against the knight’s handsome face.
That expression was utterly cold.