Chapter 660: Volume Eighteen: Stormy Secrets, - Eleven: Wild Imagination
Hoffman paced back and forth in the room, agitated, with his hands clasped behind his back. The oppressive atmosphere radiating from the Church of Light was enough to irritate anyone. Yet, that wasn’t the main issue. These degenerates who had completely fallen from grace still seemed to be indulging in the glory of their past, when they had united the Continent. They believed their doctrine could still enlighten all the faithless fools and that everyone would believe and let them do as they pleased. Hoffman didn’t worry much about these imbeciles from the Church causing too much of a stir. He was more concerned about his half-sister, Katya. Although he never deigned to acknowledge that her lowly blood had any connection to his own, it was undeniable that this woman held an influence in the kingdom, in Jazair City, that was not inferior to his.
Now was the best time to deal with that woman. His father had already stopped meddling in politics, and the beastmen had already retreated. Although the North was still in disarray and Jazair City was in chaos, these issues were trivial to Hoffman. What mattered was that the beastmen had shown they had no intention of occupying the lands in the North, and the Church of Light had also expressed a willingness to help him re-establish a solid defense system in the North. They were even willing to help persuade other countries of the Northern Alliance to aid the kingdom. Of course, there were certain conditions for this deal.
It seemed that everything was under his control. Lord Tez had explicitly expressed support for his initiatives to stabilize the kingdom’s authority. Hoffman had never felt so exhilarated; however, just at this time, that woman had left for Mainz without a word! Could she have sensed his intentions? No, impossible. If that were true, then this woman was far too dangerous!
That woman had always been his most dangerous opponent, and now he seemed to have reached the peak of power. Did she also concede that she wasn’t capable enough to confront him and consequently back down? Hoffman did not believe it. He had experienced Katya’s temperament and tactics firsthand. If it weren’t for his noble birth and the powerful support backing him, perhaps she would have already overthrown him. Could she now admit defeat without a fight? No, that was impossible. Hoffman believed that her desire could never be weaker than his.
"Lenta, what do you think Katya is planning by going to Mainz this time?" Hoffman glanced at the woman sitting on a jujube wood brocade chair diagonally across from him, seemingly focused on trimming her nails.
"What is it, Hoffman, are you worried about something? Worried she’ll cause you trouble?" Lifting her head, Lenta’s green eyes twinkled mockingly. The slight smile on her lips irked Hoffman.
"What do you think? She suddenly slips away at this time; doesn’t it mean she has sensed something?" Hoffman said through clenched teeth: "Does she think she can escape my grasp by sneaking off to Mainz?"
"No, Hoffman, you can’t touch her now, and now is not the time to do so. There are more important matters before you than dealing with her. You know she still has many supporters in Jazair City. Acting now would be inadvisable and hasty, likely startling the snake in the grass. Although you have initially won Lord Tez’s support, for such a matter, he would not back you and might even become disgusted by it, unless of course, you could take our father’s place." Lenta could see that her brother seemed to be getting a little too eager for success, possibly because victory was in sight, which made him impatient and even forgetful of his current environment and standing.
"Hmph, if I could take my father’s place, why would I need to worry about her? Isn’t the situation still unsettled? Her hiding away at this time clearly shows she’s waiting for her opportunity. If I don’t take advantage of my current position and dispose of her, I fear she’ll bring us a lot of trouble later on."