Chapter 359: After the Murder of The King
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Benjamin had killed the king.
Earlier, he had taken advantage of the splashing water and shattered ice and used magic to create a hole in the wall. Then, he hid inside the cupboard, used a mirror to create an illusion of himself, controlled the illusion to look as if it was escaping, and fooled everyone.
Aldrich had scrambled out to chase after Benjamin and left the king alone. And because the king was so enraged from getting stabbed in the thigh, he had ordered all the guards to quickly seal the city and look for Benjamin, leaving him alone in the room with the servant.
So, Benjamin was given the perfect opportunity to emerge from the cupboard and end the life of Ferelden’s current ruler.
In all fairness, he did not kill the king impulsively; what he did had a reason to it. He was very clear that if the king was not dead, the church would be able to implement their plan.
First, they would allow all the priests to enter the country and secretly allow them to preach. Once the church starts to get more believers, they would lift the ban and begin to encourage people to believe in God...
By the time the mages realized that something was wrong, they would have already become the lowest form of life in Ferelden.
Therefore, the King had to die.
Killing the king would greatly hinder the church’s plan. Aldrich could technically join forces with some ministers and the new king, but would the prestige of the new king compare to that of the old king? If they were to implement a new order, it would be strongly opposed by the citizens.
If this were to happen, the church’s plans would be delayed by at least another five years.
And in five years’ time, Benjamin would be ready.
Benjamin did not intend to run again - where could he go? Escape to Icor and get arrested by the Queen? Or flee to Carretas, a country that had been dependent on the church for a long time? He had no choice but to stay.
He did not fear the future. Even if he became a wanted man, he already had a certain influence in the territory of Ferelden. Worse comes to worst he would conduct underground business. The king was dead, they would be very busy, they would not have enough energy to stop underground operations.
In short, Benjamin would stay in the only country that was not under the control of the church - he would fight until the bitter end.
Thinking of this, he looked at the king and servant’s body and took a deep breath.
He suddenly opened the door and ran out.
"Help! The mage Aldrich is killing people! His majesty can’t hold it much longer! Help!"
Benjamin had carefully concealed his own appearance and wore a servant’s outfit. Right now, his body was wet, and his hair was messy. He looked like a frightened young servant.
"What? What happened?"
Several servants heard the shouting and came up to Benjamin.
Benjamin looked distraught. He pointed in the direction of the room and stuttered, "The mage Aldrich... ... he... he... your Majesty... run!"
Then, he suddenly freed himself from the few servants and ran out of the palace, shouting from time to time.
The people around him were frightened, they hesitated for a while before carefully walked towards the room.
As for Benjamin, he ran all the way to the entrance of the palace. He ran to a corner near the door, instantly resumed a calm expression, sorted out his messy hair, then started brisk walking toward the door.
"What happened? What happened in the palace? What’s with all the noise?" The guards at the front door asked.
"I do not know." Benjamin had an embarrassed look as he said, "It seems like his Majesty and the mage Aldrich were having a fight when they suddenly demanded some iced champagnes. The ice in the Palace had already been used up, and so I am desperately looking for some more."
"This..." the guards looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
Benjamin suddenly grabbed the guard’s arm and exclaimed, "That’s it! Brothers, could you help me? Ask your mage friends to get me some ice or his Majesty would be very angry."
The guard looked awkward and quickly freed himself from Benjamin’s grip, "We have to guard the palace. We have no time to help you... you better go to the city to look for it yourself."
Benjamin wore a sorry expression as he slumped his shoulders.
"Ok then..."
Then, he reluctantly left the palace.
During the night in the City of Snow, there weren’t many people on the streets. Even though there was a big commotion in the palace, the people in the city still went on with their lives as though nothing had happened. It was like two different worlds.
Benjamin walked down a remote street, changed his clothes, fixed his disguise and quickly went to the city gate.
The gate had already been closed in accordance with the king’s last command before his death. There were also a lot more guards around the area. They all had a cautious expression on their face as they patrolled back and forth. Occasionally they would look at the sky, to make sure that no one was flying about.
Benjamin also saw a few mages among them and frowned slightly.
Time was of the essence; once people realize that the king had died, Ferelden would fall into turmoil. What he needed to do now was rush back to the city of Rayleigh and plan his next move with his loyal group of mages.
The illusion made by the mirror should have disappeared by now due to the distance. Aldrich would realize that something was wrong and the people in the palace would be going crazy looking for him.
He could not stay any longer.
Therefore, Benjamin did not hesitate. He summoned water vapors to surround his body, then jumped into the sky, using the cover of the night to his advantage as he flew higher.
"Wait... look! What is that?" as he flew over the gate, the men who were on duty spotted him.
Benjamin ignored them and continued on.
Before long, the mages along with some guards were chasing after Benjamin. But Benjamin ignored them. He was more afraid that Aldrich might find him.
"Lord! Please wait!" He heard the mages shout behind him.
However, Benjamin accelerated, and soon out-flew the few mages behind him.
After chasing for a while, that few mages realized that they would not be able to catch him. Therefore, they stopped chasing and started discussing with each other, "This is bad. We have to go back and tell Lord Aldrich."
Benjamin heard this from afar and thought of turning around and killing them.
However, he soon gave up on that idea. Not only had the mages saw him, but the soldiers around the palace saw him too. He couldn’t kill all of them, and so, he decided to use the time to get further away.
Aldrich might have guessed that his destination was Rayleigh, but he would not figure out which route Benjamin took.
Moreover, he still had the mirror.
Realizing this, he suddenly took out the mirror and summoned an illusion of himself. He switched positions with the illusion, then flew off in another direction. The mages behind him were absolutely confused and could not tell which was the real one.
Now, it would be absolutely impossible for Aldrich to find him.
Benjamin was relieved.
Soon, the mages chasing after him gave up, and he flew far away from from the City of Snow. Without any more obstacles, he headed straight for Rayleigh.