Super Righteous Player
Chapter 617 - 158 - Save me, I’m going to be killed.jpg_1

Chapter 617: Chapter 158 - Save me, I’m going to be killed.jpg_1

Dorin had never imagined that the person she had attacked was none other than the sole heir to the Winter Duchy... the legendary Annan Winter!

When she realized that "Giralda" was indeed Annan Winter, Dorin was so frightened that she forgot how to breathe. It’s almost two days now, and her head still felt dizzy.

Attacking the Winter family—a heinous crime without doubt, even if one wasn’t a werewolf.

Although Dorin was a werewolf, she was of Winter origin.

She knew well that Frost Beasts must be bound by the Winter family.

She learnt from her teacher... although she didn’t become a Transcendent, she was aware that the Tower of the Storm needed a sacrifice from the Winter family every few decades.

One could say that the Winter family served as the Guardians of the Winter Duchy. Anyone bearing the surname "Winter" was respected by all.

The needs of the nobles and commoners of the Winter Duchy were completely disparate.

The nobles, especially the local ones, didn’t quite favor the Winter family. The main reason for this was likely the countrywide surveillance by "Hand of Winter" and the subsequent strict enforcement of laws this action entailed.

This greatly curtailed the privileges of the nobles.

Not all nobles were like the Winter family, oblivious to human emotions. They had hearts capable of joy and delight, and thus they had desires.

For wealth, for the opposite sex, for power... even for fine food. And in the winter season, when resources in Winter were scarce and all luxuries were curtailed, the nobles naturally became discontent.

—If you cannot even relish the taste of fine food yourself, how can you expect us to live such a simple life with your family? Even if resources are tight, there should certainly be enough for the nobility to use.

These nobles were in control of the Duchy’s operation.

Economy, education, industry, fishing and hunting, military... all required a large number of talents to manage. With the already scarce resources of the Winter Duchy and barely enough to ensure that everyone was fed, even providing higher wages was but a drop in the ocean.

Therefore, abuse of power for personal gain became a fairly common phenomenon within the Duchy.

But the Grand Duke of Winter’s stance was firm.

The Grand Duke naturally had his reasons to be stringent. Although the nobles managed the Duchy’s operation... what the Winter family represented was the survival of the Duchy.

Even if the Winter family’s power was diluted to the extreme, their existence remained vital—otherwise, the Frost Beast army would be unstoppable.

The main responsibility of those Hands of Winter scattered across the country was not to face foreign threats, but to look inward at their own nation. Wizards were naturally among the primary targets of these checks and balances, since their many tools made it easy for them to commit crimes... particularly smuggling, theft, and homicide. However, the number of wizards was, after all, quite limited.

The principal task of the Hands of Winter was to deal with the local nobility... especially in regions far from the province of Frost Speech, where surveillance was difficult.

To monitor and prevent unusual monetary flows, illegal transactions, and extravagant waste, investigate cases of power abuse and preserve evidence... and in instances where they were about to commit treason, summon an Evil God, slaughter the innocent, assassinate other nobles or clergymen, extreme, unconventional measures were permissible—take out a target directly without the need to report beforehand.

Naturally, the nobles were dissatisfied with such assertive surveillance methods.

Especially when comparing their conditions to those of nobles from other nations, their dissatisfaction was only greater.

During the three-year long "Icebreaker Rebellion," the Icebreaker Army’s main investors... were these very local nobles.

Their goal wasn’t entirely aligned with that of the Icebreaker Army—even the most extreme nobles didn’t wish for the Winter family to disappear completely.

After all, compared to the rule-abiding Winter family... organizations like the Icebreaker Army, who had their own desires yet also had ways to control Frost Beasts, were even less trustworthy.

All Winters knew that Frost Beasts were extremely dangerous.

Even when frightening children into obedience, parents would say, "If you don’t go to sleep, Frost Beasts will crawl in and lick you." A mere lick from a Frost Beast could drive an ordinary person mad.

Unlike the horror stories from other nations... Frost Beasts were a common sight.

If one were to leave the safety of the small barriers for a walk, one could encounter Frost Beasts anywhere—almost as commonly as encountering wild animals in the countryside during a bountiful year. After all, any wild animal could be transformed into a Frost Beast.

Thus, this terror seemed particularly "life-like" and discouraged people from courting death or taking risks.

Hence, no one wished for the Winter family to disappear... unless they too could master the skill to control the Frost Beasts.

The best outcome would be to secretly obtain the Icebreaker Army’s technique for controlling the Frost Beasts; if that couldn’t be achieved, then the next best would be to convince the Grand Duke to dissolve the Hand of Winter; if even this proved impossible, then undermining the prestige of the Winter family and weakening their rights was still a viable option.

These were the thoughts of the local nobles.

But unlike them,

the people of the Winter Duchy held their Grand Duke in even higher esteem.

It was precisely because everyone believed that only the Winter family were absolutely just rulers that even the harshest laws and most difficult governmental decrees could be reluctantly implemented.

...But if it were someone else, that might not be the case.

The actions of the local nobility, who used their power for personal gain and were justly dealt with by the Hand of Winter, served only to strengthen Grand Duke Winter’s position in the hearts of the local population.

The failure of the Icebreaker Army was partly due to the general lack of support or even open hostility from the people toward their rebellious acts. During the three years of rebellion, the Icebreaker Army never received any supplies from any civilian forces; their ranks hardly expanded at all.

It was because the people trusted the Winter family.

Especially the present Grand Duke, Ivan Winter—

Whether in the military, the economy, religion, or politics, Ivan was a rare wise ruler.

If the Icebreak Rebellion and the Frostbite Disaster hadn’t happened during his tenure, perhaps things could have endured another decade. By then, the economic destruction might not have been as minimal... and whether it was Noah, The Holy Nation, or the United Kingdom, they likely wouldn’t have been as restrained as they are now.

Among all the children of Grand Duke Ivan, Dmitry, the eldest, was the most famous.

But those who had a deeper understanding of the political situation in the Winter Duchy knew that Annan Winter was the true heir.

According to legend, the most talented Ritualist in history, who had been sent abroad at the age of eight. Despite being influenced by the Heart of Winter, he still possessed a demonic charm—enough to forge friendships with more than twenty deities.

Just hearing his legend was incredible to Dorin.

If Selicia, the "Ship in Stone Captain," was a legend among the underdwellers, then Annan was the legend of the Winter people.

—Annan had once been her idol!

Dorin had never imagined that someone of such low status as herself could be so close to the legendary Annan... to even have spent a night in the same room with him.

So many things cluttered up her mind.

Upon learning that Annan intended to take her to the Frost Speech province, it was natural for Dorin to refuse.

It was out of fear.

Merely entering the underground and seeing so many strange and unfamiliar people every day was scary enough. She would shrink into her room daily, too afraid to step outside.

To enter Frost Speech province?

That was the power center of the entire nation! The core of the Winter Duchy... and she was just a mere werewolf.

But Dorin’s refusal and resistance were naturally ineffective in the face of Annan.

After all, her current status was still that of Annan’s captive.

However, upon thinking that she was being taken back as spoils of war... Dorin felt somehow less resistant and even less scared.

But now, having arrived at the Grand Duke’s residence,

Dorin stood at the door of the Grand Duke’s room, nervous and uneasy.

Feeling the cold and faintly hostile gazes from all around, Dorin couldn’t help but let out a soft whimper.

—I told you we shouldn’t come here!

Save me, I am going to get killed!

"Dorin, come in for a minute."

Suddenly, Annan’s indifferent voice sounded from inside.

"Whimper—"

At that moment, Dorin’s fur bristled, and she was so nervous she forgot how to breathe.

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