I Am Louis XIV

"I thought I would be the first to use a wizard as a soldier on the battlefield." The king said, and Erarous, who was beside him, couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. "Obviously," Louis turned He smiled at him and said: "Emperors and kings are the third type of people." This joke probably no one can understand at this time, Louis will not say more, he has such courage and courage, there is no reason why he is the same age as him The Holy Roman Emperor would of course cringe after realizing that he had been cheated by the King of France, and of course he would do whatever he could to get back - the alliance with the nations and the Church of Rome was one of them , and the inner world - the Holy Roman Empire certainly has its own inner world. The wizard of Gajola Island will become a vassal of the French king because Italy has never had a real king, and Bishop Richelieu and Bishop Mazarin have become A solid bridge - when Leopold I decided to draw that dangerous double-edged sword, no one could stop him.

As for the Roman Church, don’t forget that the ancestors of the current tribunal are nothing more than converted wizards. In the church, except for some ascetic monks far away in isolated islands and mountains, there are fewer truly pious people than pearls in the sand. These wizards of Flanders, and the church people are pulling needles from it—this is really a joke, but this kind of joke is so hard to laugh, even Eralio, who is always smiling, frowned. , human beings are always easy to forget because of their short life, but in the other world——no, earlier, when extraordinary forces got involved in secular disputes, it would only bring more death and despair, even the huge Roman Empire It just fell down in a few hundred years, and all the brilliant achievements of King Arthur, known as the "Holy King", have become unbelievable legends, and the Crusades... the blood on the armor collected by many nobles and famous families has not been seen. Wipe it clean...

It is a good thing for mundane kings and themselves that wizards escape into the inner world, but wizards are also human beings, and they also have all the weaknesses of human beings.

"Those Bohemian witches are also in Waterloo." A wizard from Gajola Island rode forward and said.

Now all eyes are on the king, waiting for his decision.

"Vicomte Turenne!" cried the King, "I will not abandon my people."

"Yes! Your Majesty." Viscount Turenne immediately bowed and obeyed. He is a mortal, and he was as gloomy as dust in the ranks of wizards and priests before. He just didn't want to endure when the king was in danger, but he was safe. In a comfortable place, I didn't expect that he would be useful in just one or two hours - the wizards looked at him with complicated emotions. Although they admired the courage of this mortal, when facing the dark wizard, he pulled out The posture of holding the sword still made them feel contemptuous-but as soon as the king's order was issued, the general with frosty temples and a slightly bent back was like a jewel that had been dusted off, and stood in the sun's rays. Under the light, it emits a light that is unbearable to look directly at.

"Take my artillery," said the king, "take my rangers and spotters, take my guards, and it doesn't matter if I set fire to the whole plain of Waterloo, I promise, if you dare to hurt my soldiers , not one of my people will escape!"

Viscount Turenne took the order, and the king looked at the wizards of Gajola Island. Speaking of which, the original mission of these wizards was to try to kill the members of the Witch Order after the war. Without the mastermind, those bohemians Only sub-witches can really be used by the king—even if they are not used on the battlefield, the king’s colleges and factories still need a large number of wizards—but I didn’t expect that the Flemish black wizards headed by Bosch would think of attacking Waterloo , but there is nothing surprising, first: there are only injured French soldiers and a small number of local residents here, if their tragic death is exposed to the army, it will undoubtedly be a big blow to the morale of the French; And the women and children of Brussels, though they were all Flanders, Bosch would not mind a little mortal sacrifice--to humiliate and slander a king, even if he was dead, would be a What a pleasant thing.

It's just that no one expected that things would turn out like this - the king used himself as a bait to lure out the dark wizard Bosch who had always been hiding deeply, and Bosch, for the first time, did not stay in his hermitage, but He replaced his disciple Rubens, recruited black wizards, and sniped the unsuspecting Waterloo—and Rubens also left behind. Although he failed to leave in time, he also went to pursue The most recent king and priest uncovered Bosch's attempt.

"Should you have a way to prevent the wizard from escaping?" asked the king.

The wizards of Gajola Island hesitated for a moment. Of course they have. Although there are not many wizards who walk through flames, water and mud, but in the other world, the major families have been fighting for so long, so there must be such targeted spells. And even if he doesn't do it, then the monks of the tribunal on the side must have it. After all, almost all the magic defenses of the palace and the king's residence are completed by them, and the wizards can only assist from one side-the king boldly left them. By his side, let them compete with each other, and let them lose the capital to threaten the king.

"Also," said the king, "if those witches ... if they are helping my soldiers, then please don't be stingy with your kindness." When Lady Milady returned to him, the king didn't quite believe it, Since these bohemian witches are frivolous by nature and loathe restraint, what can a playful engagement mean? The king just wants to prove to the soldiers, generals, and the world that medical care is necessary and important—but if they can really stay with their "husbands", then the king is willing to admit that they are also his sons. civil.

The wizards of Gajola Island bowed to the king, and while the monks watched, they summoned giant owls, cooing feathered creatures whose fur stood on end at the sight of the monks , but under the consolation of the wizard, they finally stopped their threatening calls, and led the wizards soaring into the sky.

"We will escort you back to Brussels." Eralio had been waiting quietly, and now he asked: "Or, Waterloo?"

If Viscount Turenne, or Vauban, or Condé, would never say the second choice, the king smiled, "Of course it is Waterloo." He said, "Then what about this person?" asked slightly.

"You said he was a dark wizard too," said the king.

"Well," Eralius nodded, "At least seventeen people will die on him, although some of them cannot be said to be completely innocent."

"Then there are innocent people too," said the king. Rubens' face showed obvious guilt. He was very young at that time, and he was suffering from the death of his loving father. He was not too clear about the consequences of his curse. He just channeled his anger All the pain and grief were poured on the drawing boards. After losing their original owners, these paintings did not lose their effectiveness. They were recovered and burned by Rubens after destroying three families in a row—this is what Bosch can firmly grasp. One of the reasons for living with him - if his identity is revealed, not only he, but also his father, mother and sister, as well as his wife and children will suffer great shame, and even Revenge by others, he admits that he is cowardly and shameless, but today is probably the time for him to pay the long-delayed price.

"Please," he said with difficulty, "please, you can kill me as you like, but don't tell anyone that Rubens is dead, his body is rotting in the deep earth, he souls howling in hell."

"I see no reason to forgive you," said the king, glancing at the triptych. "You were cursing a king with your teacher."

"Please believe me, I'm not willing to do this," Rubens glanced at the young king with mixed feelings. It wasn't him who said that the king dared to face a notorious black wizard. His will He was more determined and tenacious than any king he had ever seen, and he listened to the priest's words. This king actually used himself as a bait to hunt down Bosch—for his father and his country , for the sake of his people, "You will not allow any Dark wizard to remain in Flanders, will you?"

"As a king, he has to give up a lot," the king said, just as he would complain to the queen mother that the ministers were too concerned about his bed curtains, but he still tried to appease them: "But some bottom lines, It is something that cannot be lost as a human being." He has been to Gayola Island, and he has seen the gorgeous side of the world, the absurd side and the cruel side, but for dark wizards—sometimes not even for casting spells, In order to become powerful or seek money, the king will never forgive the "beasts" who kill and torture others at will just for their own preferences.

Not to mention these dark wizards, even the Colosseum is gradually becoming sparsely populated on Gayola Island. The king's conscript has taken away most of the young wizards. They have been imprisoned on this island since childhood—— Even under the influence of magic, the island looks much larger than it really is, but as the population grows, the island is no longer rich and peaceful—they can only use the best gifts bestowed by the major families. Basic living space, bread and bloody gladiatorial fights, and wine to numb yourself, uh, maybe plus contempt for the outside world - people will feel pain when they see people who are better than themselves, and when they see people who are lower than themselves People will feel happy, this is an indisputable fact, but also nature, there is nothing to refute.

But since Gayola Island was half-forcibly opened by Louis, they saw what they hadn't seen before, which belonged to the prosperous side of the watch world. A comfortable mansion, clean drinking water, a warm bath, rich and fresh food, and a wide range of goods, as long as they are willing to pay some meager labor (although some of them don't know what they are doing). Just get them easily.

In the past few years, more and more wizards have moved to Calais, Gajola Island has gained a respite, and at the same time, the major families have also found that it is no longer possible for them to join the Mancini family as the king's agents. Given the opportunity to fight, the decree issued by the king as the young Duke of Colonna was finally able to be implemented—like the tragedy that the king had seen, the tragedy that Crelan and his companions had encountered, seldom in the naked world. It happened in the open, although werewolves will still be discriminated against-but there is no need to draw swords and fight to the death.

Werewolves are like this, let alone mortals. Although some families who are good at potions are complaining, because they are now going to compete with mortals for the bodies of death row prisoners. Merlin, this is something that the king can't stop. People now believe that The human body can be used as medicine, and the executioner's biggest income comes from the fact that he can harvest the most valuable parts of the condemned prisoner, such as the head, heart, etc., and those who are willing to pay the price can take away the liver, skin and Muscles, civilians can only wait for the leftovers... Even Bishop Mazaran has been recommended as a "medicine" for red-haired death row prisoners.

This is true for Gayola Island, and for Flanders, which will soon become a province of France, the king will only tighten it tighter, and will not relax a little bit. Here is the same as Lorraine and Alsace. During the year, it will be the most important and dangerous place in France. He will set up a permanent army here and a credible governor. If he allows those dark wizards to stay in Flanders, it will undoubtedly be in his own A poisonous snake was placed on the chest.

"In this case," Rubens said, "Your Majesty, please give me a chance to redeem my sins." A devil who just crawled out of a crack in hell, "Let me go to Waterloo with your...priest, I'll stay with Bosch the longest," Bosch can always figure out all sorts of ways To torture this extremely talented but always rebellious student: "I know his methods better than anyone else." Even better than Bruegel, maybe this is why people say, your Enemies always know you better than your friends.

The king glanced at Elalio in silence, "Yes, Your Majesty." Elalio said, "I will watch him."

"The drawing board cannot be burned." A monk came to report at this time.

"Because the curse is not over yet," Rubens said, and sure enough, Saint Denis, with the three pairs of eyes in the drawing board, was still staring at the king. "What if Bosch dies?" Eraro asked, " I'm afraid it's worse, this is his last work, his soul will be attached to it, and it will take longer for the magic on the picture to dissipate completely," Rubens rubbed his neck with difficulty: " Bosch desecrated Saint-Denis." He didn't continue, but everyone present knew that Saint-Denis was the patron saint of France, he protected France, and Bosch's black mass even stole millions of them. One-tenth of the power is also extremely tricky.

"Should it be said that fortunately there is only one Bosch?" said the king, "then there is no way?" Favors are not so bad, not to mention, if the curse of Saint-Denis followed him back to France, then there might be rumors in the court—just like the cause of Louis XIII’s death has not been made public yet .

"I can't bring it back to the church," Eralio was very calm. The church would be ecstatic and make a big fuss: "I will bring it back," that is, the inner world, "I will seal it up and pray and holy water will constantly consume the mana above it."

"When it's over, you can cut off my head," Rubens added calmly, "Let my blood splatter on this painting, which I collaborated with Bosch," he said. Glancing at the king, he said, "Although I tried my best to make up for it, it seems that it has become his disguise, but it doesn't matter, once my soul enters the painting, I can fight with him, so that the curse will last longer short."

"Maybe it's a good ending for you," Eralius said, and he glanced at the king. In fact, this was Rubens begging them in disguise, to seek his afterlife with his soul, which could never rest in peace. peace, his name will not be sullied, and his posterity will not be dishonored.

Although this is not very fair to those innocent victims: "I promise you." The king said: "But you have to leave another will to compensate the offspring of those victims."

"I've done that, maybe not enough," said Rubens, "but I know Bosch, and his disciples' collection, and I'll tell you all about it."

"I hope so," said the king.

When they left, the king looked up, and there was a light in the sky: "That's Waterloo," he said.

"Yes." Eralius said.

————

Waterloo, a small town without a name, caught fire.

The fire kept the flying insects and rats out, and separated by this scorching wall were witches, soldiers, residents here, as well as women and children in Brussels. When they left Brussels, they cried thunderously, but it was hard to say. Is there a trace of luck and secret joy, who knows, they did not come to a safe Garden of Eden, but to a devil's mouth?

Look, what did they encounter? Rats, flying insects, wizards, fire... Even if angels came down from the sky with trumpets and announced the end of the day, they would not be more terrified.

The witches held the spell-casting materials tightly, and the leader Manit and others held the staffs. These were given to them by the Duchess of Colonna after they surrendered to the king. At that time, they felt humiliated, but now they feel very lucky. There is no such thing Staff, they can't afford to light such a big fire.