I will be crowned king

"I'm very sorry, Your Excellency Ansen Bach, because of my personal reasons, you have to take time out of your busy schedule to go to a boring and boring room to discuss a boring topic with a boring old man."

"No, no, no... Viscount Bognar, you are really too modest."

Anson, who was sitting on the leather sofa, kept a polite smile and quickly glanced around the entire smoking room.

The carpet under your feet, the marble fireplace behind you, the oil paintings on the wall, the sixteen crystal gas lamps above your head, as well as the card table, bookcase, wine cabinet, tea cabinet... This "smoking room" is larger than your own living room.

"It may be difficult for you young people to understand, but for old people like me... living in the ever-changing city of Clovis requires some old-style private space to truly relax."

The old gentleman smiled reservedly. Perhaps because he was at home, he only wore a black silk nightgown outside his shirt. He looked very relaxed:

“Coffee or wine, I was told you like navy rum?”

"Coffee, thank you." Anson nodded slightly:

"I don't drink at work."

"It's a good habit. Alcohol affects people's thinking."

With an admiration, Viscount Bognar picked up the bell next to the coffee table and shook it, looking at the young waiter who walked in through the door: "A pot of hot coffee, don't let anyone disturb us."

Watching the silent waiter close the door and leave, Anson took out his notepad from his coat pocket and looked at him with an undiminished smile:

"Viscount Bognar, I think there is no need for me to explain the purpose of my visit today, right?"

"Of course." The old gentleman nodded slightly and raised his hand to interrupt Anson who was about to speak:

"But before that, please allow me to express my sincere gratitude to you - not only for saving me, but also for your plan afterwards; I don't know how you convinced the Archbishop, but please believe that, The Bognar family will never treat their friends badly!”

"You're overly flattering."

Anson shook his head calmly, maintaining the good image of an excellent officer: "I'm just completing my job."

"Well said. Excellent and responsible officers like you are rare nowadays."

Viscount Bogner shook his head with emotion, and the two fell into a brief silence.

“…Martin Bogner was born into a traditional Clovis aristocracy; but the Bogner family lost power during his grandfather’s era, and during the most difficult times, they even had to sell off their property and land just to make a living.

It wasn't until the 80th year of the Saint's Calendar that Viscount Bogner used the emerging spinning business to recruit landless farmers to open factories. His family came back to life. Not only did they win back their old territory and property, they also got a seat on the Privy Council. A leading member of the "liberals" and a major supporter of the Public Administration Bill.

Therefore, although the Bognar family itself belongs to the traditional aristocracy, the Viscount himself is full of disgust at "bloodline theory" and values ​​personal ability, power and assets more.

When communicating with them, you don’t have to worry about small details and focus wholeheartedly on the conversation or work itself, which will help you win the other person’s favor..."

The above is all from information collected by Clerk Alan Dawn.

In the quiet smoking room, Anson held the pencil in his hand tightly and said nothing.

After a while, the silent Viscount Bogner took a pipe: "Do you mind if I smoke?"

"No." Anson raised his hand, indicating that the other party was free.

The old gentleman lit his pipe, puffed away the smoke, sighed and spoke slowly:

"Your Excellency Anson Bach, when you were in the storage room of the factory, you said, 'The Guards are not the only ones who have an interest in me in Clovis City'... I had no reply at the time."

"But the truth is...I know exactly what you mean."

"Not only that, I also know who the 'force' you mentioned that made Nott Conan appear and tried to kidnap me, and what they are planning, and it has always been clear."

"And the problem is that just because I know who they are, I can't let the church—or the Inquisition—get involved in this matter to retaliate against them."

"Because...I am also one of them."

Holding the pipe in his hand, Viscount Bogner smiled sadly.

"I don't understand." Anson frowned slightly.

"No, you are a smart man. You will definitely understand what I mean from my words. You just don't dare to guess." The old gentleman bit his pipe gently:

"Counting from the outbreak of this war between the kingdom and the empire, everything that happened after that, including the stoppage of the Grand Cross Railway project, the army's withdrawal from the royal capital, the Guards taking power, the gradual collapse of public security, the "Public Administration Act", and the Red Brick Street Riots , the Iron Sky incident..."

"Everything! All of this is a fight between two groups of people in the Kingdom of Clovis who are tearing each other apart regardless of the consequences and costs, and this fight has followed the Church of Order... No, it should be said that it is the Franz family. Participate, and the outcome of the first stage will soon be decided.”

"See what happens?!" Anson did not hide his surprise:

"I'm very sorry, Viscount Bogner, but I don't quite understand what you mean..."

"It doesn't matter. You don't need to understand it so quickly. You just need to know that there is such a thing." The old gentleman chuckled:

"Let me simplify things a little: there is a group of people who all believe that if the Kingdom of Clovis wants to defeat the Empire, a change is needed; but there are... very huge differences between the two sides in the direction of change."

"The current "Public Management Plan" is one of the points of conflict between the two sides: some people want to disband the Guards and establish a new organization, while others think that the scope of power of the Guards should be expanded, and the two sides are fighting endlessly."

"Now...the part of this group of people who are about to lose has begun to be reckless in order to make a comeback, thus attracting the attention of the Church of Order; and those who are about to win, in order to ensure that things will not develop as quickly as possible, not only cannot they retaliate , but we have to protect them!"

So what he means is that this factory riot, and everything before it, is a power struggle within the Kingdom of Clovis, and because one side begins to use any means to attract the attention of the church, the other side must do everything possible to cover it up to prevent the situation from getting out of control?

Well, no wonder his surrender to the Franz family aroused such strong resentment from the army - Archbishop Luther was taking advantage of the internal conflicts in the Kingdom of Clovis to try to get the Franz family to get a piece of the pie.

But Anson was still a little confused: "What does this have to do with your insistence on seeing me?"

Viscount Bognar put down his pipe, leaned forward slightly, and looked into Anson's eyes: "Because from the moment you leave the Iron Sky, you are also a member of this battle - whether you accept it or not. at this point."

"I?!"

"That's right, it's you, His Excellency Anson Bach." The old gentleman said briefly:

"You don't really think Draco Vertes' presence in your box...is really just a coincidence, do you?"

"Do you know Draco?!" Anson showed an expression of surprise.

"He is a young man with a vision beyond this era." Viscount Bogner nodded slightly, with a look of memory in his eyes:

"Almost two months ago, at a social salon, Madame Catarina introduced his detective novels to me; to be honest, I have no interest in popular literature, but that novel inspired me interest of."

"It introduces a brand new way of managing security in the story, which is completely different from the security army - establishing an institution that is completely different from the army. This institution is different from the army and is responsible for the investigation and prevention of crime and the maintenance of public order. , supervise road traffic and organize control in emergencies.”

"Although I have always been proud, I have to admit...without this novel, there would be no "Public Administration Act" today!"

So before arriving at Clovis City, the chatty novelist was already making plans, right... Anson was slightly surprised and said curiously:

"Then what does he have to do with this 'battle'?"

"He is the key to all this." The old gentleman said with a rather emotional expression:

"Draco Vertes, he didn't do anything, but he made everyone involuntarily fight for his goal - to destroy the Guards and establish a brand new organization to replace it."

"And that was Draco Vertes' revenge, revenge against the Guardsmen who killed the last of his relatives."

The old gentleman suddenly smiled, and a glimmer of light flashed through his gray eyes: "Letting an organization completely die and never come back again is really the most amazing 'revenge' I have ever seen!"

"And what I mean by 'everyone' includes me, including Lady Catarina, including Archbishop Luther Franz, including many people who may not be aware of it... and of course, including you, Anson Bach. Your Mightiness."

Viscount Bogner's expression seemed a little tired because he said too many words at once:

"So after careful consideration, I made a request to the trial court to let you be responsible for questioning me, and the other party politely agreed... Do you understand the reason?"

"I understand." Anson nodded thoughtfully, he now fully understood.

Laurence Bernat or the Tribunal, they had guessed from the beginning that the involvement of Viscount Bogner and the Old Gods involved the power struggle within the kingdom, so they specifically asked the Storm Group to come forward to solve the problem, and agreed to let themselves Responsible for interrogation.

But mere guesses and words from the other party's mouth are completely different in nature: the former is doubtful, and whether the trial court takes action depends on the judgment of the person in charge; the latter is based on conclusive evidence, and the trial court must intervene!

Obviously, the Tribunal does not want to intervene at all now; because once it intervenes, it will definitely not involve one or two people, but an unknown number of forces and noble families. The consequences and impact will be beyond their control, so they plan to turn a blind eye. Close your eyes.

Viscount Bogner nodded happily: "I will give you a list of the names of all those involved in the Old God Sect and who are very likely to hire 'black magic detectives' to kidnap and incite workers to riot."

"You can hand this list directly to the Tribunal, but that will bring unpredictable consequences; you can also find the common ground behind them, and then uproot the old god sect force lurking in the shadows."

Uprooted...Anson smiled slightly:

"This seems a little beyond my capabilities."

"No..." The old gentleman smiled and shook his head:

"I think that for an outstanding officer who can kill a dozen Guardsmen on a train alone, lurk into a factory where workers are rioting, and kill a spellcaster with almost no advantage...he is fully capable of this."

"……I try my best."

Anson tried his best to smile and resist the urge to draw six rounds of his gun at the old gentleman.

"This sounds like the answer of a responsible person." Viscount Bognar put down his pipe, picked up the bell and shook it:

"Trust me, you won't be disappointed with your choice."

With the gentle sound of the door hinge, the waiter pushing the silver dining cart entered the smoking room and ordered a cup of coffee and a black suitcase in front of Anson and Viscount Bognar.

The old gentleman held down the suitcase and pushed it in front of Anson: "This is just a thought, not a sign of respect."

After looking at the box and then at Viscount Bognar, Anson put away his smile and said righteously:

"I don't take bribes."

"You misunderstood. How could I bribe you in this way? It's so tiring to carry such a box of gold coins." The old man explained softly:

"This is a collection of historical books, many of which are manuscripts, plus some toys that I have collected myself - I know that you studied at St. Isaac's College before joining the army, and you must be very interested in this kind of stuff. , please be sure to accept it.”

Having said this, Viscount Bogner's expression changed slightly, he deliberately lowered his voice, came closer and whispered: "Of course, if you are tight on money, I know there is a person named Karin Jacques who can help you 'handle it' Drop these things, and we can give you a price that you are absolutely satisfied with.”

"……Thank you for reminding."

Anson twitched his lips, this method of bribery was really "aristocratic".

The other party said so much, from a chatty novelist to the power struggle within the kingdom, the actual purpose is only one: to entrust himself to find the Old God organization behind certain nobles and Privy Council members, and bring them to justice without affecting the situation. Uprooted.

You don't even need to do it yourself, you just need to hand over the information to the trial court and let them handle it.

And this box is my "down payment".

"You're welcome - when the matter comes to an end, I will definitely get you a position that is most suitable for you in the army or the future 'Guards'." The old gentleman chuckled:

"I said, the Bogner family will never treat their friends badly."

This is the "final payment"... Anson stood up, put down the coffee cup that he hadn't drank from, and picked up the box on the table:

"Then it's time for me to take my leave, Viscount Bognar."

"I wish you have a nice trip."

Viscount Bogner stood up elegantly and said goodbye:

"May the Lord of Order protect his devout followers!"