Chapter 88: The Night Before the Expedition
“You pervert! Release the princess, or I’ll fight you to the death!”
As if worried that Kailun hadn’t heard, Shirley, holding a longsword in one hand and a scroll in the other, shouted again.
Judging from the style of the scroll, it was probably a 6th-rank magic scroll.
Hearing Shirley’s voice and imagining the scene she had misunderstood, Hilna, with tears in her eyes, chewed the banana in her mouth and swallowed it.
Her mood was a bit sour, so she took another bite of the banana with resentment.
However, in Shirley’s eyes, this was a display of depravity. Her mood immediately plummeted, “Your Highness, how can you be so… so foolish? It’s all my fault for not protecting you…”
Hilna: “…”
She didn’t want to explain. She just wanted to find a corner and huddle there with her head in her hands.
“Oh, isn’t this our Knight Shirley? Why are you so down in the dumps after a few days?”
Kailun removed the hood of his robe, revealing his face to Shirley.
“You devil, Kailun! You dare to do such a filthy thing to the princess! Even if I die, I won’t let you go!”
Shirley clenched the scroll in her hand. In her eyes, Kailun, who could kill Duke Stamp in a single blow, was far stronger than her.
Even with the help of forbidden drugs, he was at least a 6th-rank.
Although she wasn’t confident of defeating Kailun, she couldn’t bear to witness the older princess being humiliated by him. She added, “Your Highness, don’t worry. Even if I can’t defeat this demon, I’ll kill you and save you from his humiliation.”
In Shirley’s eyes, the dignity of the royal family was above all else.
Hilna felt a headache coming on when she heard Shirley’s words, “That… Can’t I live a little longer?”
“Shut up and eat your banana.”
As soon as Hilna finished speaking, Kailun shoved the remaining half of the banana into her mouth.
He raised his head and looked at Shirley not far away, “Speaking of which, Shirley, do you remember what I said about how you should apologize if I caught you again?”
Hilna patted Kailun’s arm. She wanted to warn Shirley to escape, but her mouth was stuffed, so she couldn’t speak.
Shirley didn’t respond. She stared coldly at Kailun and activated the magic scroll in her hand. The blue scroll turned into a one-meter-long blue arrow and shot towards Kailun.
“Whoosh!”
A “whoosh” sound pierced through the air. Looking again at the place where Kailun was standing, a translucent magic shield suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking all the damage from the arrow.
Before the arrow’s magic power ran out, the magic shield in front of Kailun didn’t show any cracks.
“You… you can actually do magic?” Shirley asked in astonishment. Her impression of him was still stuck at the time when Kailun slashed Duke Stamp with a sword.
“As a 1st-rank magician, it’s quite normal for me to know some magic, isn’t it?”
Kailun shrugged. With his current attribute level, if he spent more time, he might even be able to cast 8th-rank magic.
It was a pity that he hadn’t reached the level of an 8th-rank magician in his previous life, so naturally, he didn’t have 8th-rank magic in this life.
To get 8th-rank magic formations, he still had to start with the Abyss.
Hilna, kneeling on the ground, was so surprised that she didn’t realize the banana in her mouth had fallen to the ground.
In her eyes, Kailun had constructed a 7th-rank magic shield in less than a second. Its condensation level and speed far exceeded hers.
And this time, Kailun hadn’t taken any forbidden drugs. He had clearly achieved this level with his own strength.
Thinking of Kailun’s age, Hilna couldn’t help but shiver. This wasn’t just breaking records, it was creating miracles.
Learning magic was a very long process. Unless one was exceptionally talented, it was difficult to speed up the process.
Moreover, the transition from 6th-rank to 7th-rank was a watershed moment between intermediate and advanced levels. Very few people could cross this threshold. After all, a 7th-rank was considered a top-tier combat power in the Xiya Kingdom.
Now, not only was her intelligence inferior to Kailun’s, but even her pride and joy, her strength, was weaker than his. Hilna thought about it and automatically squatted beside the tree stump, retreating into her own world.
“Impossible. No one can be both a magician and a close-combat fighter.”
Shirley shook her head in disbelief. She could cast magic only because of the magic scroll. At present, she was just a 5th-rank Knight.
Kailun walked towards Shirley’s position calmly, step by step, “I’ve told you, a magician who can’t fight isn’t a good villain. Since you’ve come to me, I’ll accept you with the utmost respect.”
“Click!”
Kailun snapped his fingers. Red magic chains shot out from his body towards Shirley, binding her tightly in an instant.
Because of the special way he tied her up, it made certain parts of Shirley’s body look unusually prominent.
“You pervert! Just kill me. You can’t humiliate a Knight like this.” Shirley lowered her head, looking at her chest, and said in anger and shame.
Her plan had failed again.
In fact, she had thought of many ways to deal with him in the past three days, but none of them worked.
The scroll in her hand just now was the last one she had found in the princess’s study. Other than that, she had no means of confronting Kailun.
To be honest, if not for her stubbornness, she would have given up long ago.
But thinking of the princess being played around with and forced into various strange poses by Kailun in the dungeon, she was filled with rage.
“Look, you’ve already called me a pervert. If I don’t do things that match the image of a pervert, won’t I be at a loss?”
Kailun used his finger to forcefully flick Shirley’s smooth forehead.
Although she felt the pain, she gritted her teeth and didn’t make a sound. In this regard, she was much more resilient than the older princess.
It was precisely because of this resilience that such a tough knight was not easy to break.
“Shirley, as someone who has been through this, I have to tell you a truth. When others slander you for doing something wrong, the best thing to do is to actually do it, and do it even more.
Otherwise, if you haven’t done anything but are still being slandered maliciously, that feeling of being wronged will make you unable to sleep.”
As he spoke, Kailun’s hand had already reached Shirley’s face and pinched her nose.
“Why don’t you release the princess? I can exchange places with her. I’m more obedient than her.”
Because her nose was pinched, Shirley’s voice was muffled.
She had noticed through her peripheral vision that the older princess was actually eating a banana, not something strange, so her mood improved somewhat.
Although it was still indecent, at least her last bit of dignity was preserved.
“No, they’re all my prey. Why do I have to make a choice? And you don’t know this, but the older princess is actually quite obedient now. Don’t believe me? I’ll demonstrate it to you.”
Kailun released Shirley’s nose and beckoned to Hilna beside the tree stump, “Come here, little doggy. It’s time to go home.”
Although Hilna wanted to resist, she followed her heart and walked over. Standing and walking was her last shred of dignity.
Kailun took the chain from Hilna’s hand and held it, “See? Isn’t the older princess very obedient?”
Shirley widened her eyes. When did the princess start to fall?
While Shirley was puzzled, a collar also appeared on her neck, and the slender chain was held in Kailun’s other hand.
Thus, with one in each hand, Kailun walked towards the manor.
Along the way, Shirley cast many strange glances at the older princess. The older princess dared only to lower her head and remain silent. She felt that her noble princess image had been completely ruined.
“Creak!”
Twenty minutes later, Kailun locked Shirley in the dungeon where the older princess was kept, and he put the older princess in the cage where Shirley had been, giving them a change of treatment.
“Same rules. Shirley, as long as you expose your chest, I’ll let you go. If you don’t want to go, I can change the condition to improving the older princess’s treatment.”
Kailun stood at Shirley’s door for a while, then squatted in front of the cage where the older princess was kept.
“I’m always fair. If the older princess can do the same thing, I’ll also improve your treatment. Of course, if you’re embarrassed, you can choose to order Shirley to do it.
For the older princess, issuing such an order shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
Kailun poked Hilna’s face through the cage, openly inciting a rift between her and Shirley.
Hilna, who was now quite clever, felt that as long as she didn’t respond, Kailun, the demon who sought pleasure, wouldn’t continue to torment her.
Seeing that Hilna didn’t respond, Kailun, who had many other things to attend to, didn’t choose to continue teasing her.
In his eyes, being able to catch Shirley, a big fish, was already considered a success. He still needed her help on the expedition.
Compared to Hilna, Shirley was actually more useful now.
It wasn’t until Kailun left the dungeon that Hilna sighed and looked at Shirley, “You didn’t have to come and save me. This demon wouldn’t give you a chance to save me.”
“I’m Your Highness’s Knight. I said I would protect you.” Shirley shook her head.
“Why are you doing this? Kailun, this demon, loves to play with people’s minds. He won’t give up until he’s broken us.
Oh, it’s all my fault for attacking him back then. Otherwise, things might be completely different now.”
Hilna leaned against the cage. The more she compared herself to Kailun, the more useless she felt. Her once-proud heart was quietly crumbling.
He always achieved the greatest victory with the least cost. If he could really conquer the Malaga Kingdom within a week as he said, maybe the Xiya Kingdom really had the potential to rise.
But all this had nothing to do with her anymore. She was just a common, defeated person.
Hilna leaned her head on her knees and pondered. Her beautiful red hair drooped down, as if losing all its vitality.
Shirley watched Hilna, who had lost her confidence, and wanted to do something, but she was trapped in the dungeon and couldn’t do anything.
…
Time flew by, and by the afternoon, the Grand Duke’s ten thousand gold coins had arrived at Kailun’s manor.
Besides the ten thousand gold coins, there were also gold and silver jewelry sent by the Duchess. Kailun selected some expensive and exquisite jewelry for Afra and the others, and he would sell the rest to Ella’s merchant guild.
As for jewelry, he had enough. It was better to convert the excess into gold coins.
It’s worth mentioning that besides gold coins and jewelry, the Grand Duke also thoughtfully sent over a brand new “motorhome.”
Compared to a carriage, this was a special creation produced by an alchemical kingdom. Its internal space was as large as four small rooms, and it could even activate a magic shield to defend against 7th-rank early stage magic bombardment.
As long as it had enough magic power, its speed was comparable to a carriage, making it the perfect choice for traveling and commuting.
The only problem was that it was too expensive. Such a vehicle would cost fifty thousand gold coins. The wealthy Grand Duke, who had just received the vehicle, hadn’t had time to enjoy it before sending it to Kailun.
Of course, if not for the Duchess’s “strong suggestion,” the Grand Duke wouldn’t have been willing to part with it.
Initially, it was called a mobile fortress and used for military warfare, but later, it was favored by nobles as a mobile palace for traveling and going on picnics.
After making a simple personnel arrangement, Kailun wouldn’t be taking everyone on this expedition.
First, someone had to stay behind to look after the manor and report on the situation in the kingdom. Second, the fortress had limited capacity, so there was no need for everyone to go along and rough it.
After determining the personnel for the trip, Kailun found the little princess and told her about the latest arrangements.
“So, you’re going to leave me here to watch the house?”
Vivian’s adorable little face showed obvious displeasure, “Why don’t you take me with you? Why take Isabella instead?”
She bared her little tiger teeth, as if trying to scare people with them, but she didn’t know that her actions always gave Kailun bad associations.
“Isabella’s divination can be helpful for the upcoming march, so I have to take her with me on this expedition to work for me.
The reason I’m not taking you is because there isn’t enough room. Unless you’re willing to stay in the carriage all the time and get tossed around.”
Kailun shrugged helplessly. If it were anyone else, he would have directly issued an order. But Vivian deserved a little bit of special treatment.
“I can sleep on the floor. You can’t leave me out of such fun things.” Vivian pointed at the mobile palace parked in front of the villa.
Kailun looked at her in surprise, “You really want to sleep on the floor?”
“Hmm.” She nodded.
Kailun rubbed Vivian’s head as if he were coaxing a child, “Alright, since you said so, I’ll let you and Isabella share a bed. You’re both little ones, so you won’t take up much space.”
Originally, he had planned to lower Vivian’s favorability to -100, but who knew that her favorability inexplicably turned positive. If he tried to lower it again, he would be torturing himself.
Although she didn’t like being called a “little one,” Vivian, who had achieved her goal, didn’t dwell on it. She rubbed Kailun’s palm and asked, “Are you taking my sister on this expedition?”
Kailun said, “Of course, why wouldn’t I? This expedition is a key part of her training. If she wasn’t there, I would miss a lot of fun.”
Vivian: “What about Winnie?”
Kailun: “As for Winnie, it depends on her performance tonight.”
Vivian: “…”
She knew that this demon, Kailun, only cared about his own comfort.
…
【Father, Mother, please escape from this den of demons, the Xiya Kingdom. Don’t believe Kailun’s words. He’s a demon, a bastard.】
【He’s using your safety to threaten me, forcing me to submit. So, please, take all the family members and escape.】
【It doesn’t matter where you go, just don’t stay in the Xiya Kingdom. Only when you escape his control will I have a chance to escape…】
Winnie wrote a letter to Laurist and his wife, telling them the truth. When they saw the letter, they initially thought it was a prank.
But when they saw the familiar handwriting and tone, they believed that the content of the letter was true.
Thinking of Kailun’s brutal side, they believed even more in their daughter’s pitiful plight.
“What should we do now? Our daughter is still in that Great Demon King’s hands. Quickly think of a way to rescue her!”
Laurist’s wife paced anxiously in the room. The thought of her daughter being bullied made her heart ache.
“Rescue… rescue… Of course, I want to rescue her, but Kailun has a strong army. What can I do to save her?
And today, Kailun was quite nice to me. I think there’s a chance to get along with him. Why don’t we try?”
Laurist was calculating in his heart. Kailun had already become the ruler of a kingdom, so how could he care about a small family like his?
Besides, he had heard that Phil’s family hadn’t attended today’s voting session and were perfectly fine.
Hearing this, Laurist’s wife walked over to Laurist and said angrily, “Do you believe our daughter or that demon’s words?”
“This…”
After thinking for a long time, Laurist still stood on Winnie’s side. After all, Kailun’s brutality had left him with too many psychological shadows.
“Alright, let’s evacuate the family from the Xiya Kingdom first. We’ll see if there’s a chance to rescue our daughter later.”
Laurist’s wife instinctively asked, “Where should we go?”
Laurist said, “Let’s go to the Malaga Kingdom. It’s quite close.”
…
“Winnie, you really are a natural rebel. You’re so pitiful, yet you still ask your family to write a letter. It’s truly an eye-opener.”
Around five o’clock in the afternoon, Kailun found Winnie in her room.
“You know?” Winnie was startled and quickly stood up from her chair.
Kailun said, “Come on, do you really think you can hide what you’re doing from me? I have every reason to believe that you’re betraying me before the war.
According to kingdom law, I have reason to carry out a devastating attack on the Laurist family, who have received important information.
What suggestions do you have, Miss Winnie?”
“I’m sorry, I was wrong. I won’t dare to do it again!” Winnie slid down and knelt on the ground, skillfully hugging Kailun’s leg.
She hated herself for having a glimmer of hope. She wanted to escape. She didn’t want to live under Kailun’s clutches anymore.
She didn’t want to experience that kind of excruciating despair again.
“Actually, as long as you’re obedient, why would I ever deliberately make things difficult for you?”
Kailun stroked Winnie’s hair, “This time, I can let your mistake go, but only if your dance satisfies me.
If you make a mistake again, the punishment will be the same, understand?”
Winnie: “I understand…”
【Your shamelessness has lowered Winnie’s favorability by 10. Total Favorability -90】
“That’s a pretty good evaluation. Come to my study after dinner. If you perform well, I’ll take you with me on the expedition tomorrow.”
Kailun left a sentence behind as Winnie looked at him in confusion. She didn’t understand what he meant by “evaluation.”
Leaving the sweet fruit for after dinner, Kailun returned to his room and asked the little maid, Carol, to help him pack his luggage.
During dinner, Kailun told everyone about the expedition and decided to leave Anna, Ella, and Phil behind.
Ella had to stay because she had to manage the merchant guild. As for Anna and Phil, they had to stay and watch the house for him.
He would leave a thousand Silver Moon Knights to guard the manor, and there would be a defensive force of over ten thousand in the royal city.
He needed people he could trust to keep him informed about the situation in the royal city. This task couldn’t be entrusted to outsiders.
With a favorability of 80 and 91, respectively, they were completely trustworthy.
Although Anna was reluctant about Kailun’s decision, she agreed. Phil, on the other hand, looked annoyed.
It wasn’t until Kailun suggested raising her family to the level of a Viscount that she became as happy as a husky.
For Phil, there were two things she pursued: Kailun’s whipping and her family’s status.
Winnie, sitting at the dinner table, couldn’t help but cast envious glances at Phil, whose family had been elevated to Viscount status. She wondered if she could have the same opportunity if she worked hard enough?
But this naive thought lasted only a second before she denied it. After all, Kailun had completely different attitudes towards her and Phil.
After dinner, Kailun returned to his study to organize maps, plan routes, and further refine his plan.
The two kings hadn’t told Kailun about the hijacking of the gold coin transport vehicles from the Kaz Kingdom and the Maden Kingdom. They wanted to keep it from him for a while longer.
Kailun didn’t expose them. He just let them hang, planning to extort some more money from them later.
In the quiet night, Kailun worked until ten o’clock in the evening. He had almost forgotten about his request to Winnie. It wasn’t until a knock on the door sounded that he said, “Come in.”
“Click!”
The person who came in didn’t speak. Instead, the first thing they did was lock the study door.
Hearing the sound of the lock, Kailun turned his head and saw Winnie, dressed in tight clothing. Hmm, the same outfit as that night.
He simply put down his pen and paper, lay down on the chair, and looked at Winnie, “I don’t have much time. Please begin your performance.”
Winnie’s face flushed slightly. She gritted her teeth, walked to Kailun’s side, pulled him up, and stood with him in the empty space in the middle of the study.
“I’ll listen to you, but please don’t bully me anymore, okay?” She squeezed out her last bit of hope. She wanted to be treated a little better.
Just like that night at Lake Heart Pavilion, Winnie danced gracefully, following the steps she remembered.
The gorgeous clothes and her fair skin were captivating under the study’s lamplight. Her beautiful hair, smelling of roses, drifted around Kailun.
Her delicate skin brushed against Kailun’s arm, her full breasts pressed against his chest, and her impeccable long legs rested on his legs.
Her beautiful eyes contained resentment, anger, and a hint of shyness. Fortunately, Winnie saw the yearning in Kailun’s eyes. Otherwise, she would have doubted her own charm again.
The young girl was shy and bashful, like a ripe fruit that only needed to be peeled and enjoyed.
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