Super Righteous Player-Chapter 1238 - 275: Melvin’s Outburst

"——No."

Dmitry said coldly, "Your Excellency Sumarokov Melvin, the proposal you have put forward is excessive by any standard."

"There’s no need to refuse so quickly, Dmitry... Your Excellency the Archbishop."

A magnetic voice belonging to a very elegant middle-aged man came from across Dmitry. His demeanor was exceedingly gentle and composed as he continued, "As for the specifics, I believe we can still negotiate further."

In his speech, he emphasized Dmitry’s status as a Cardinal Archbishop.

He was reminding Dmitry that he was not the Grand Duke, nor was he a regent.

In principle, Dmitry did not have the authority to review proposals in place of Annan. Initially, Annan’s suggestion was that Dmitry should pretend he was still present and block all matters, correcting them behind the scenes where no one could see.

Then he would convey the messages on Annan’s behalf. Should any new incidents arise, they would be "sent back"—Dmitry would pretend to leave for a while and then return after some time, presenting opinions in the name of Annan.

But Dmitry always found such acts boring.

And akin to those bureaucrats he despised the most... it was all formality and a slow response.

After all, Annan had already convened a Council of Winter’s Hand in the United Kingdom.

Nobles who were slightly more well-informed would certainly know that although Grand Duke Annan hadn’t spoken, he had most likely left the Duchy of Winter.

If they continued with this charade, it might instead lead people to mistakenly believe that Annan had been kidnapped, coerced, or usurped.

So, after maintaining this pretense for a while, Dmitry simply stopped acting altogether—he skipped the process of back-and-forth maneuvers and made decisions on his own behalf. If anyone asked, he would say it was "the Grand Duke Annan’s decision to entrust me with full authority over this matter."

Even if everyone was clear about this, for the time being, they still did not dare to act rashly.

After all, not too long ago, Grand Duke Annan had just cleaned out the nobility of The North Lands. His might was still felt.

Although none of these nobles were of particularly high stature... being relegated to the harsh conditions of The North Lands meant they were on the political periphery.

Yet, without amassing evidence of their rebellion, without prior sentencing of their crimes or signing arrest warrants, and without any overt conflict with these nobles,

——Annan hadn’t even informed their local police stations or military forces, and directly dispatched Frost Beast troops from the Frost Speech province to carry out the killings.

Those who resisted were executed on the spot, while the rest, including their families, were all imprisoned.

This was actually not in line with the "tradition" of the Duchy of Winter.

In the Duchy of Winter, face and dignity are actually very important. And Annan’s actions were exactly the opposite; they were disrespectful and undignified.

On one hand, the other nobles harbored an innate fear of this unreasonable Tyrant; on the other hand, they also felt strong dissatisfaction—a discontent based on unease.

Annan’s actions did not conform to their understanding of "common sense" and "customs." This made them unable to judge Annan’s intentions, and thus unable to respond.

During the winter years, the Winter family and the other nobility were no different from each other.

This attempt to take back the right to speak had naturally sparked a backlash from the nobles—they weren’t trying to rebel or seize power; they just wanted to negotiate for better treatment. To achieve this, they first needed to demonstrate their value.

But these nobles would never "work hard, strive vigorously." Instead, they would find an excuse to strike and then start making trouble for others, or would report all the troubles suppressed by themselves in one go.

To let the Winter family understand the value of their existence—

If the local governors like them were lost, the Winter family alone would struggle to advance an inch within the Duchy of Winter. In that case, the Winter family would realize the importance of these nobles....

Not to mention, the lands in The North Lands, although barren, could still be divided among them. No noble would consider having too much territory to be a burden.

Although Dmitry was not adept at political affairs, he was not foolish. From the very beginning, he had been prepared for the possibility of being troubled by others.

——It was better for Dmitry to be troubled than for Annan to face troubles.

The reason Dmitry was willing to take on this thankless task was largely to protect his younger brother... Grand Duke Annan of the Duchy of Winter.

Because everyone knew that Annan was trying to ascend to the Gold rank—and during this process, any slight problem could lead to death without a burial.

Every year, well-known silver-rank Transcendents fail to ascend to gold and die; it’s not just one or two coincidental accidents, but rather something occurring in every country, every year.

Under such dangerous circumstances, a normal Transcendent who wishes to ascend to gold must make adequate preparations.

If weighed down by political responsibilities and various troubles within the Duchy of Winter, Annan would find it very hard to allocate time and energy to adjust his condition.

The nobles didn’t even need to confront Annan directly.

If they just handed over the usual troubles they suppressed, it could hold Annan back. Even if just to alleviate some troubles, Annan would need to relinquish some benefits in the short term to restore a gradually restless Winter to calm.

...But what they didn’t expect was for Grand Duke Annan to have run away.

This was another action that defied common sense.

Generally speaking, would a ruler simply go wandering in a foreign country without even bringing bodyguards?

Of course, this ruler himself might be more capable in a fight than all his bodyguards combined...

But in the end, the result was an avalanche of political affairs originally intended to cause trouble for Annan, which suddenly tripled in volume and all fell upon Dmitry’s shoulders.

Several months have already passed.

Dmitry is unaware of the progress on Annan’s end.

All he can do is handle the political affairs to the best of his ability for Annan. At the very least, he must avoid embarrassing incidents that could reach Annan and disrupt his rhythm.

Just as when elders in the family are striving outside, as a well-behaved and obedient child, what he can do is to look after the home, making sure no chaos at home forces the striving elders to drop their work and return—although by age, Dmitry should actually be considered an elder.

Facing these nobles with insidious intentions, Dmitry only feels a headache and a stomachache.

—They are becoming less and less discreet.

They are here to cause trouble.

Take this document, for instance...

"I am sorry, but the Winter Principality will not agree,"

Dmitry, massaging his temples, reached out to tap the document on the table: "Letting the Melvin family take over the orphanages and preschools within the country? Do you take me for a fool?

"You belong to a family capable of crafting ’Divine Children.’ Do you think I can rest easy handing these children over to you?"

"What is there to worry about?"

Sumarokov Melvin, acting as the familial representative of this generation, casually stated: "Have you read this report? The total number of orphans across Winter is actually just over a three-figure number per year, which is a very small amount—of course, this is under the leadership of Grand Duke Annan."

This was an outright lie.

After his accession, Annan had hardly made any significant changes in the general direction. No matter how you look at it, this was Grand Duke Ivan’s achievement.

Sumarokov was certainly aware of this.

But he deliberately said this as a way to set a trap for Dmitry.

If Dmitry objects, claiming that it was not Annan’s credit but Ivan’s—that ultimately becomes "evidence" of "discord between Dmitry and Grand Duke Annan" that would circulate among the nobility.

Such rumors would completely morph after a few rounds of gossip. The version that reached the public would be even weirder. However, as the person involved, Dmitry couldn’t come forward and openly dispute it... for he was not the ruler.

He is a spokesperson for divine authority, not a proxy for political power.

If he were to clarify, then "Earl Melvin discussing politics with Bishop Dmitry" would become another established fact.

As a person in power, having neither the proper title nor the authority, Dmitry would easily bury hidden dangers for himself and for Annan.

He covered his forehead, feeling an increasing headache.

Dmitry is starting to regret... maybe he should have followed Annan’s advice and pretended from the start that Annan was still in Winter.

In that case, at least Melvin wouldn’t be so brazen...

Dmitry took a deep breath and replied definitively: "In any case, it’s impossible.

"Under no circumstance will it pass. Not by me, and certainly not by Annan—even if there were only a handful of orphans. You cannot treat them as goods to be traded.

"These children are children of Winter, future citizens of Winter. They should not be manipulated at your will just because they are young, powerless, and do not have parents to stand up for them." freewebnøvel.com

Dmitry, narrows his eyes and solemnly answers: "Please leave, Earl Melvin. There’s no need for further discussions on such matters in the future—Annan and I will undoubtedly be in agreement."

"No, no..."

Sumarokov Melvin shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, no—"

His eyes widened, displaying an earnest and humble expression: "I am very—I am very sorry, Your Eminence Cardinal Dmitry. I have come to understand my mistake deeply... but I must clarify, this is not a request for permission."

"...What?"

"This is a report to you, my respected soverei...I mean, Your Excellency."

Sumarokov gave a respectful bow: "We have actually started doing this several years ago. And we will continue to do so."

"You—"

"Also," Earl Melvin interrupted Dmitry, "we will provide these children with a fine education and place them in stable jobs within the Melvin-affiliated industries."

He gazed at Dmitry with his large, innocent eyes.

This man, with only the left half of his head braided into fine plaits, the right side filled with tattoos that resembled strands of hair, looked to be only in his forties, but was actually from the same era as Grand Duke Ivan’s father, humbly asked Dmitry: "Do you intend to send out the Hand of Winter because I feed them well, educate them, and offer them a stable job?"