Category: Dear, it’s time for your medicine!

Chapter 144: Headshot

Shaye was very, very unhappy!

Anastasia was an exceptional woman. Shaye could sense that she possessed a talent no less than Candice’s. When Qin Chu was momentarily stunned by her, Shaye’s mood immediately soured.

Her lips bit Qin Chu’s ear, venting her dissatisfaction.

Unfortunately, Shaye’s lips were soft, and even if she really bit down, it wouldn’t hurt, even making Qin Chu feel quite comfortable… Of course, Qin Chu wouldn’t be foolish enough to say that he was completely fine. Instead, he pretended to grimace in pain. Otherwise, if he really angered Shaye, a bite from her silver teeth wouldn’t be a pleasant experience.

Ekaterina and Violet were also ready.

They had also received invitations… After all, one was the Crimson Valkyrie, and the other was nominally Wadsworth’s cousin. Both were exceptionally powerful experts, and no one dared to ignore them.

Ekaterina changed into a fiery red dress, as enchanting as a blooming crimson rose. Violet wore a blue-gray dress, probably conjured by her own magic.

Although her attire was simple, her natural beauty still shone through.

Qin Chu took the opportunity to stand up, temporarily escaping from the grumbling Shaye, “It seems everyone is ready. We should probably set off.”

The vines in the residence’s garden were neatly trimmed, and under the moonlight, the pond below the rockery reflected bits of starlight. Four figures in armor stood quietly in the courtyard, their long shadows stretching across the ground.

They were Anastasia’s four guards.

When they saw their princess, the four guards’ eyes brightened with pride. Their princess was so outstanding, so beautiful.

Like the brightest star in the sky!

The four guards took a deep breath, then walked up to Qin Chu and knelt on one knee almost simultaneously, “Hero, our princess… We entrust her to you.”

They were just guards, not qualified to attend the banquet, not even qualified to get close.

In this empire filled with arrogance and decay, after experiencing the assassination attempt and the humiliation and mockery at the city gate, they couldn’t trust anyone in the empire except Qin Chu, the Hero.

Unable to attend the banquet, they could only ask Qin Chu to take care of their princess and not let her be wronged.

Knights protecting a flower.

This was originally the job of Grand Prince Lance, her fiancé, but now they could only ask another man. It was truly ironic.

Their loyalty and concern moved Anastasia.

Qin Chu smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to take care of Princess Anastasia.”

After Qin Chu agreed, the four guards finally felt slightly relieved.

A luxurious carriage was already waiting at the door. For nobles, even family members would take separate carriages to attend such important banquets. Otherwise, it would make people think they were poor and couldn’t even afford to hire carriages.

But Qin Chu didn’t care about that. One carriage was enough for four people… If he didn’t want to appear too unconventional, Qin Chu would even prefer to walk slowly, just to relax…

There were so many rules in high society that it was suffocating. But for nobles, they meticulously adhered to this so-called etiquette, because it was a way to show off their status, position, and wealth.

This was a banquet held to welcome the princess consort, and it was almost equivalent to publicly declaring that Grand Prince Lance was the next emperor. It held a completely different meaning from ordinary banquets.

Even Wadsworth wouldn’t neglect it, and many important figures would attend. Ordinary nobles could be greeted by servants, but some special and important figures had to be greeted by the Grand Prince personally, or even by Wadsworth himself. Otherwise, it would make them feel disrespected.

Most of the nobles had already arrived, but Princess Anastasia hadn’t appeared yet, which made Wadsworth a little anxious.

A mocking smile appeared on Lance’s face. That woman should be busy dressing up, right? Or maybe she was already ready and rushing here?

Thinking of Anastasia rushing to the banquet in her torn dress, Lance couldn’t help but want to laugh. This stupid woman didn’t even know her place. She still wanted to be the princess consort?

Was she even qualified?

No one was allowed to disturb him and Loseweisse, no one.

Come to think of it, he didn’t seem to have told Anastasia where the banquet was being held. Could that stupid woman not even find the place?

Lance became happier and happier.

At this moment, with the sound of horse hooves, a carriage appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall. The luxurious carriage symbolized a noble status. The coachman lifted the curtain, and a figure emerged from inside. It was the Hero.

The anxiety on Wadsworth’s face instantly dissipated, replaced by a hearty smile. He glared at his useless son, then quickly walked towards Qin Chu.

No matter how unhappy the Grand Prince was, he could only suppress it and follow behind his father.

But before they could reach the carriage, Qin Chu suddenly extended an arm in front of it. Then, a small hand, covered in a red silk glove, rested on Qin Chu’s shoulder. A fiery red rose bloomed in the moonlight. It was Ekaterina, the Crimson Valkyrie.

Then came Violet, Wadsworth’s so-called cousin.

It wasn’t strange for these two to appear with Qin Chu, after all, they all lived in his residence… But what surprised Wadsworth and the Grand Prince was that after these two got off the carriage, Qin Chu didn’t leave, still maintaining his gentlemanly posture.

This made Wadsworth and the Grand Prince frown. Was there anyone else?

Could it be Angelica?

Although the Hero doted on Angelica very much, she was just a maid and wasn’t qualified to attend such a banquet.

Soon, they saw a slender arm, covered in a white lace glove, gently resting on Qin Chu’s arm. Even through the silk fabric, they could feel the delicate, snow-like skin beneath it.

A figure in pure white emerged from the carriage.

A fitting dress accentuated her graceful figure, pure yet charming, seductive but not revealing.

Everyone’s gaze was drawn to this beautiful figure. The moment she appeared, she was destined to be the most dazzling flower at the banquet.

However, Wadsworth and the Grand Prince’s faces instantly darkened.

Because they recognized this figure in white.

It was Anastasia.

It was the Grand Prince’s fiancée.

It was the future princess consort, the future queen.

Why did Anastasia appear with Qin Chu?

Instantly, some of the nobles who saw this scene couldn’t help but whisper, after all, putting aside other aspects, the Hero’s reputation in terms of relationships with women had always been criticized.

The Grand Prince’s face instantly became extremely malicious. That damned bastard Qin Chu was humiliating him in public again.

His eyes were spitting fire, as if he wanted to rush up and burn Qin Chu to ashes.

And that shameless woman Anastasia, didn’t she know her place? As his fiancée, right before their wedding, she was actually with another man. Where did that leave his face as her fiancé?

What kind of behavior was this?

Originally, the Grand Prince wanted to humiliate Anastasia, so that she would leave on her own and not interfere with his relationship with Loseweisse. But he didn’t expect that before he could humiliate her, he was the one who lost face.

His teeth gnashed together, and his body trembled violently.

Wadsworth was still composed. Although he was also filled with anger, he could control it. Taking a deep breath, his face quickly returned to normal, and he greeted them with a hearty laugh, “Brother Qin, you’re finally here. I thought you wouldn’t give me face and wouldn’t attend my son’s fiancée’s banquet…”

“How could that be…” Qin Chu also chuckled, “I can disrespect anyone, but not you, brother.”

“Brother, for your sake, I’ve put in a lot of effort,” Qin Chu patted Wadsworth’s shoulder lightly and said meaningfully.

These words made Wadsworth’s eyes narrow slightly, but he knew this wasn’t the time to talk. He gave the Grand Prince behind him a look, and Lance, suppressing his urge to explode, came over to greet Anastasia.

With the arrival of Qin Chu and Anastasia, the banquet finally began.

Accompanied by classical and elegant music that Qin Chu couldn’t appreciate at all, people mingled, enjoying the wine and pastries.

For these nobles, the banquet was a good opportunity to build their network. They gathered in small groups, whispering to each other. Lance also took Anastasia to greet one noble after another.

As for Qin Chu, he was pulled aside by Wadsworth.

“Brother Qin, what’s going on? Why did you appear with my future daughter-in-law? You didn’t do anything to Anastasia, did you?” Wadsworth asked with vigilance.

This could almost be considered a royal scandal.

“How could that be? Am I that kind of person?” Qin Chu said indignantly.

“Aren’t you?” Wadsworth retorted without giving him any face.

Qin Chu sighed helplessly. He took a sip of his wine and then slowly said, “Brother, I took in Anastasia out of consideration for you, sacrificing my own reputation. Don’t wrong a good person.”

“Princess Anastasia was attacked by assassins when she passed by the Conrad Demon Beast Nest. Morton should have already told you about this, right?”

Wadsworth nodded. He naturally knew about it, and he even knew who those assassins belonged to… Damn it, they wanted to blow up the Demon Beast nest and blame Anastasia’s death on the Demon Beasts, but they didn’t expect to blow up the Hero as well, and even kill dozens of elite members of the Royal Knights. It was a considerable loss.

“Then do you know how Miss Anastasia was treated when she arrived in the Imperial City, weary from her journey?”

“Because of the assassination attempt, Miss Anastasia looked a little disheveled, and she was mocked by the nobles at the city gate because of this. Lance just watched his fiancée being humiliated and did nothing…”

Wadsworth frowned and didn’t say anything.

“He didn’t even shake hands or hug Anastasia. He just told her about her accommodation at Sunset Manor and left.”

“Do you know what kind of place Sunset Manor is? It’s a cheap inn in the commoner district, with over thirty rooms on each floor, sharing a common toilet… Your Majesty, is this how you treat a princess from another country?”

Wadsworth’s breathing became rapid, and his face darkened. He really didn’t know about these things. To humiliate a princess from another country to this extent, even Wadsworth felt it was too much.

That idiot Lance…

Moreover, this was different from the information he had received… Wadsworth’s gaze turned dangerous. Some of his informants seemed to have been infiltrated by his son.

“Your Majesty, do you want your future daughter-in-law to live in such a filthy place, sharing a toilet with dozens of commoners…”

“And the assassination attempt might not end so easily, so I could only temporarily take Anastasia in at my residence… What else could I do? Send her to the Holy See or the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess?”

Wadsworth took a deep breath. Fortunately, Qin Chu didn’t send Anastasia to the Church.

The Emperor’s daughter-in-law seeking refuge with the Church, that would be a complete loss of face for the royal family.

“So, I could only bring Anastasia to my residence. Otherwise, if the princess of the Ice Duchy died in a cheap inn because of the Grand Prince’s negligence, what do you think would happen if word of this reached the Ice Duchy?”

Wadsworth’s face was grim, and he glanced at Lance in the distance, his dislike for his son growing stronger and stronger. The idea of changing his heir became more and more prominent in his mind.

If the empire was handed over to such an impulsive and reckless descendant, its destruction could be foreseen.

The banquet went on for a while. Lance had finished greeting the nobles with Anastasia. Because of her upbringing, Anastasia behaved gracefully and appropriately, not losing her composure in front of anyone. After that, Lance left Anastasia and went to drink with a group of noble ladies.

This made Anastasia feel aggrieved, but she was intelligent. She knew the Grand Prince’s dislike for her was partly because of Loseweisse and partly because of Qin Chu.

She hadn’t been able to avoid suspicion, but she had no other choice.

Anastasia felt that a thick layer of misunderstanding stood between her and the Grand Prince…

But her personality also had the boldness characteristic of women from the Ice Duchy.

Misunderstandings could be resolved.

She took a breath and walked gracefully towards Lance, “Your Highness Lance, I have something to say to you. Could you please come with me over there…?”

Lance was impatient and frowned, pretending not to hear her.

The beautiful ladies around Lance looked at him with suspicion, then the corners of their lips curled up into mocking smiles. They glanced at Anastasia triumphantly, then surrounded Lance even more enthusiastically, their revealing dresses showcasing their ample skin, a typical display of imperial fashion.

What made Anastasia even more upset was that Lance’s hand had even started to slide down a lady’s waist.

Her body trembled slightly, but she still endured it, “Your Highness Lance, it’s about the Hero. I just want to tell you that there’s nothing between Qin Chu and me…”

The Hero, Qin Chu?

Why did she have to hear that disgusting name again?

The anger that had been accumulating in his chest for too long finally exploded when he heard the words “Hero” and “Qin Chu.” Lance’s face instantly became extremely distorted.

Slap…

The next second, a crisp sound echoed through the banquet hall.

Silence spread.

All eyes subconsciously turned towards the source of the sound. They saw Lance glaring at his fiancée, the princess of the Ice Duchy, his twisted face like that of a beast.

That ferocious and cruel aura even made the noble ladies who were originally surrounding Lance feel a little scared, and they subconsciously backed away.

Anastasia stood there motionless, one hand gently touching her face. She could feel her cheek burning, a stinging pain…

Lance had hit her hard.

She couldn’t put her hand down, it would let others see her swollen cheek.

Her icy blue eyes stared at her future husband with disbelief, her body trembling slightly.

Hiss…

Wadsworth’s vision went black, and he almost fainted.

That idiot Lance.

He was making him lose all face in this public setting. Seeing that Lance seemed to want to hit her again, Wadsworth wanted to rush up and beat this good-for-nothing son, but… he couldn’t.

There were already many rumors outside about discord within the royal family.

Many of his sons had already started to have their own agendas, and many nobles were restless.

Just reprimanding his son was fine, but he was worried that Lance’s defiance would completely enrage him. Once the internal conflicts within the royal family were completely exposed, it might even cause unrest throughout the empire.

Qin Chu’s expression was also extremely gloomy. He could feel the rage building up inside Anthea, almost to the point of explosion.

He drained his wine glass:

“Brother, you can’t do it, let me help you… But I might be a bit rough.”

“It’s okay, just leave him alive,” Wadsworth said in a hoarse voice. At this moment, he had completely removed Lance from the list of heirs in his heart.

Anastasia didn’t cry. She just silently looked at the Grand Prince, her eyelids lowered slightly. She didn’t know how she felt, perhaps colder than the Ice Duchy.

She was almost frozen.

“Your Highness Lance… Please allow me to finish…”

“Shut up… Shameless thing…” Lance growled in a low voice, raising his right hand again.

Just as his arm fell, about to hit Anastasia on the other cheek, his wrist was suddenly grabbed with a snap. He turned his fierce, wolf-like eyes to the side and saw that it was Qin Chu who had stopped him.

“Lance, stop hitting her…”

Lance smiled sinisterly, his lips curled up like a madman as he looked at Anastasia, “Shameless thing, look, your lover has come to save you. Are you touched…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Qin Chu suddenly exploded, grabbing a bottle of red wine from a nearby shelf and swinging it with his right hand.

Crack!

The thick, hard wine bottle exploded on Lance’s forehead!

Chapter 143: The Princess’s Heart 

Huh?

Anastasia was taken aback by Qin Chu’s words, then she shook her head vigorously, saying that it was absolutely impossible.

If she were just a princess, it would be fine, but she was also the Grand Prince’s fiancée. She had to avoid any suspicion. If she really lived in Qin Chu’s residence, it would definitely cause gossip.

“Thank you for your kindness, Hero, but the conditions here are already very good, it’s alright,” Anastasia said quickly.

Qin Chu’s invitation made the four guards feel that although the Grand Prince had a noble status, he was far inferior to the Hero in terms of character.

If their princess married the Hero instead of the Grand Prince, they would be relieved.

With the Hero’s character, he would definitely dote on Her Highness Anastasia.

Qin Chu chuckled, “Miss Anastasia, I know what you’re worried about.”

“But now is not the time to think about that. The more important issue is your safety.”

Anastasia’s expression turned slightly gloomy.

“You also know that an assassination attempt won’t end with just one time. There might be a second, a third time. Even in the Imperial City, it’s not completely safe.”

“I won’t be afraid. Although my strength is not as great as yours, Hero, I can still fight,” Anastasia said softly, biting her lower lip.

She was just putting up a front.

“Then, have you considered what your father might do if you really die here? Will there be a war between the Ice Duchy and the Empire?”

“Actually, you know better than I do. You carry not only the responsibility of a princess consort but also the burden of maintaining the relationship between two countries. You have no choice.”

“Normally, you should be arranged to stay in the Imperial Palace, protected by the Royal Guards. But the Grand Prince leaving you here is clearly irresponsible. Now, besides my residence, there’s no other place that can guarantee your safety.”

Actually, there were also the Holy See and the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess… But if Anastasia sought refuge with the Church, it would be like slapping Wadsworth in the face, even worse than staying at Qin Chu’s residence.

Anastasia fell silent. She knew Qin Chu was right.

Although another assassination attempt was just a possibility, she had to consider it.

Compared to the possible consequences of her being assassinated, avoiding suspicion didn’t seem so important anymore. And Qin Chu’s residence, with the Crimson Valkyrie, Violet, and that mysterious lady, was undoubtedly the safest place in the Imperial City.

Anthea also emerged from Qin Chu’s body at the right time.

Although it wasn’t the first time Anastasia and the four guards had seen this, they still couldn’t help but feel a sense of strangeness. This way of appearing was too bizarre.

Anthea walked up to Anastasia, gently took her hand, and without saying a word, led her towards the residence.

Anastasia was a little flustered. She didn’t understand why this mysterious and powerful lady valued her so much, but she didn’t feel resistant.

“Then, Hero, I’ll leave it to you.”

“You’re welcome,” Qin Chu shrugged.

He couldn’t refuse Anthea’s request.

Anthea rarely asked him for anything.

Violet watched all of this with a smile, as always. She rarely expressed her own opinions.

As for Ekaterina, perhaps because Anastasia had called her the Hero’s close friend before, the Crimson Valkyrie had a good impression of her and didn’t mind her presence.

The residence became more and more lively. When she saw Anastasia, Angelica just muttered softly, “Master brought another woman back.”

But she still obediently followed Qin Chu’s instructions and prepared rooms for Anastasia and the four guards.

The weary princess needed a bath. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Angelica came to the hall, where Qin Chu was with Karen, teaching her how to read.

“Master…”

“This is an invitation from the royal family, inviting Master to attend Miss Anastasia’s welcoming banquet tonight,” Angelica handed a gilded invitation to Qin Chu.

As the Hero, he would naturally be invited.

“Put it there.” Qin Chu keenly sensed that Angelica had something else to say, “What’s wrong?”

“Master, is it really appropriate to let Miss Anastasia stay in the residence? After all, she’s the Grand Prince’s fiancée…” Angelica said cautiously.

“It’s okay, if Wadsworth is angry, I’ll explain it to him. He might even give Lance a good beating,” Qin Chu didn’t care.

Since her master had already decided, Angelica wouldn’t say anything more. She just carefully reminded him not to make any mistakes he shouldn’t.

“There’s one more thing…” Angelica hesitated even more.

Qin Chu was truly curious. Angelica usually talked to him about everything, what was wrong with her today?

“I… I hit someone yesterday,” Angelica said with annoyance, as if blaming herself for losing control and potentially causing unnecessary trouble for her master.

“Who did you hit?”

“Two of Loseweisse’s nuns, they…”

Before Angelica could finish, Qin Chu interrupted her, “Did you kill them?”

Angelica was stunned, “No, no…”

“Why didn’t you kill them? Just kill them next time, I’ll take responsibility,” Qin Chu smiled, “Of course, it’s best to avoid being seen by others.”

Angelica’s eyes widened in confusion. Was this really okay?

After a few seconds, Angelica nodded vigorously, remembering her master’s words.

“By the way, Ange, do you know Anastasia’s measurements?” Qin Chu asked casually.

Angelica’s gaze suddenly turned strange. She looked at her master up and down with a peculiar look:

“Master, you wouldn’t… I’m reminding you, she’s the Grand Prince’s fiancée, you’d better not…”

“What are you thinking? I want you to help her prepare a fitting dress. I don’t think Anastasia has any clothes suitable for this occasion in her luggage,” Qin Chu explained impatiently.

Little maid, what kind of look are you giving your master? Was he that kind of person?

Angelica patted her chest slightly. Fortunately, her master was still rational.

She walked out of the residence. She roughly knew Anastasia’s measurements.

“Prepare something less revealing… She won’t be able to accept anything too revealing.”

Her master’s voice came from behind.

If she didn’t know that this was the Grand Prince’s fiancée, Angelica would even suspect that she was her master’s fiancée. He sounded like he didn’t want other men to see too much of his lover’s skin.

After a while, Anastasia entered the hall. Having just taken a bath, she seemed to be surrounded by a hazy mist, dreamlike, like a goddess emerging from a dream.

Her slightly damp, icy blue hair cascaded down her back. She was wearing a simple dress with a straight neckline that reached her shoulders, completely different from the deep V-neck dresses often worn by noble women in the Empire.

This was what Anastasia had prepared for the banquet later.

As expected, just as Qin Chu had judged, although Anastasia had prepared dresses, these dresses were considered good in the Ice Duchy, but in the Auville Empire, they would definitely be mocked by those arrogant nobles.

Seemingly noticing Qin Chu’s gaze, Anastasia blushed slightly, feeling a little shy.

The dress was still a bit revealing.

Both her shoulders were exposed, which made Anastasia feel uncomfortable. After all, in the Ice Duchy, where it was icy and snowy all year round, people’s clothes were understandably very conservative, wrapped tightly.

The people there were used to covering their skin with cloth and fur, which also made their skin even fairer than that of the Empire.

After a few seconds, Anastasia finally looked up. She seemed to have adjusted her emotions, “Hero, how do I look?”

Qin Chu smiled, gently patting Karen’s small hand that was resting in his, and nodded, “Very good.”

“Or rather, Princess Anastasia is so beautiful that she looks charming no matter what she wears.”

Anastasia chuckled, covering her mouth, and gave Qin Chu a playful glance, “You’re very good at pleasing girls, Hero. You might be mistaken for a playboy.”

Qin Chu quickly shook his head, “No, no, I’m not a playboy. Compared to those nobles in the Empire, I’m definitely pure.”

After a pause, Qin Chu continued, “However, Princess Anastasia, although your dress fits well, it’s not suitable for the Empire’s style…”

Anastasia’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, “Then what should I do?”

At the city gate, she had seen the clothes worn by some noble ladies. Compared to them, her dress was indeed too simple. She might be seen as a country bumpkin.

“It’s okay, I’ve already asked Angelica to prepare one for you. She should pick out a very suitable dress for you. After all, you’re the brightest star tonight, and we can’t let anything overshadow your brilliance.”

Although… you might suffer the most severe blow of your life tonight, even death.

However, there was no need to tell Anastasia about this. After all, if he let Anastasia die, Anthea would definitely hate him.

Not long after, Angelica returned.

She took Anastasia into the room. Rustling sounds could be heard from inside, occasionally accompanied by the girl’s soft cries of surprise, which made Qin Chu’s heart itch.

After a long time, the two beautiful girls, Anastasia and Angelica, finally came out of the room.

Anastasia had lost her usual composure and seemed very shy, her cheeks flushed. Angelica, on the other hand, looked helpless, with visible fatigue on her face.

Making Anastasia wear this dress had taken a lot of effort.

Qin Chu’s eyes lit up.

Angelica was very talented in this aspect. She had chosen a pure white dress for Anastasia, which perfectly complemented her skin tone. It wasn’t particularly revealing, the neckline only reaching slightly below her collarbone, but even this made Anastasia feel very shy.

Her pure white beauty was mesmerizing.

Like a spotless petal, exuding a breathtaking beauty.

And the design of the dress was very figure-hugging, outlining her sexy curves from her chest, waist, hips, to her thighs.

Pure, yet with a touch of a witch’s temptation.

For a moment, Qin Chu didn’t know where to look.

Anastasia was a little shy, but seeing Qin Chu’s expression, for some reason, she felt a hint of joy and relief in her heart.

“How… How do I look?” Anastasia glanced at Qin Chu cautiously and asked.

Qin Chu took a deep breath, as if the air was filled with the girl’s unique fragrance.

“Are you the Ice Goddess?” Qin Chu gave his answer.

Angelica rolled her eyes almost imperceptibly. Her master was getting better and better at flirting with girls.

Anastasia was completely relieved and smiled softly, her cheeks still flushed. Since the Hero thought it looked good, then there should be no problem, right?

There was a hint of joy in her heart.

Anthea, who was standing at the door with her spear, also nodded, seemingly satisfied with Anastasia’s appearance.

Angelica saw Anastasia’s reaction and sighed with a worried look. This was bad… Did this princess not even realize it herself? She had already started to care about what her master thought. This was a sign of falling for him!

But she was the Grand Prince’s fiancée. This would definitely be troublesome in the future.

On the other hand, Shaye seemed quite dissatisfied with Qin Chu’s reaction.

She didn’t know why, but she felt very uncomfortable. Suddenly, the Witch opened her mouth and bit Qin Chu’s ear…

Anastasia made Shaye feel threatened!

Chapter 142: My House is Quite Big, Want to Stay Over? 

Lance stared at the emerald green leaf with gloomy eyes, its vibrant color swaying in his pupils.

What was this, a gift from nature?

The Grand Prince didn’t take the leaf seriously and casually tossed it on the ground. His hawk-like eyes were still fixed on the rapidly approaching figures in the distance.

Chaotic thoughts and images flashed through his mind.

Anastasia, Qin Chu!

Anastasia should have arrived at the Conrad Demon Beast Nest yesterday. It seemed the assassination had failed.

But they only returned today, clearly having spent the night there. Anastasia’s skirt was torn, and she was wearing Qin Chu’s coat…

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt, his mood becoming increasingly irritable. A strange image involuntarily appeared in his mind: under the bright moonlight, two naked bodies intertwined, following their primal urges, letting out desperate cries…

By the Goddess of Holy Light, that image was truly terrible.

His face was completely distorted.

That bastard Qin Chu, he had already violated Saintess Loseweisse, and now he was even laying his hands on his fiancée? With that guy’s personality, he definitely wouldn’t let go of a woman like Anastasia.

He didn’t care about Anastasia. He didn’t have any feelings for this princess from the Ice Duchy. But Anastasia still held the title of Lance’s fiancée. The image in his mind made Lance feel deeply insulted.

Lindberg, as someone who had grown up with Lance, truly understood him. In Lance’s heart, Anastasia was his fiancée. Whether he wanted to marry her or not, even if he directly sent her away, she was still his possession. He had complete control over her.

Even if it was something he didn’t want, he wouldn’t allow anyone else to touch it.

This man’s possessiveness was beyond imagination.

His eyes had become empty at some point, like the void of the night sky, deep and dark.

Venomous flames of anger churned in his heart… Qin Chu, he wouldn’t let this damned man go. He would torture him with the most terrifying methods, making him lose all face, making him suffer in despair.

And that woman, he would also make her understand the consequences of betraying him.

Just wait… Your doomsday is coming.

…

Anastasia, just as she had said, wasn’t a weak woman, despite her delicate face and skin.

The Ice Duchy was a land of ice and snow, its food imported from Auville.

And meat was almost entirely obtained by hunting beasts in the icy wilderness.

Even members of the royal family had to participate in hunting.

Anastasia was no exception. Since childhood, in addition to learning various etiquettes and magic, she had also learned some simple physical skills, hunting techniques, and horse riding.

As the warhorse galloped, a smile appeared on Anastasia’s face. She saw the Grand Prince at the city gate.

She had seen the Grand Prince’s portrait and knew that he was her future husband.

Some of Anastasia’s etiquette teachers were from the Auville Empire. They had instilled in her the idea of being loyal to and loving the Grand Prince since she was a child.

This filled Anastasia’s heart with expectations.

Even after what had happened, Anastasia still didn’t want to believe that the Grand Prince was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt.

She would rather believe that it was just a misunderstanding.

The four guards behind her, however, frowned, clearly not happy about sending the princess into this malicious city.

Anastasia gradually distanced herself from Qin Chu. When they were still some distance from the city gate, she suddenly stopped and chose to walk.

Her long legs carried her as she walked quickly towards the Grand Prince.

By the time she reached him, her cheeks were slightly flushed, her eyes filled with anticipation, but Anastasia still maintained her etiquette.

She gently lifted her torn skirt and curtsied, “Anastasia Maysfield of the Ice Duchy, greetings to Your Highness the Grand Prince.”

“Please forgive my impropriety, Your Highness.”

Behind the Grand Prince were many nobles, pointing at Anastasia and whispering, seemingly mocking her torn and dirty dress. For nobles, this was truly undignified.

However, this was probably how people from small places were.

They couldn’t expect too much from women from those poor, backward, and remote places. But this woman was truly not worthy of His Highness the Grand Prince.

The whispers around her made Anastasia feel embarrassed.

She knew that the conditions in the Ice Duchy couldn’t compare to the Auville Empire, but her parents had still tried their best to prepare the most exquisite and delicate fabrics they could afford for her. It was only because of the assassination attempt that their carriage was destroyed, and she had to travel through the jungle on foot, which was why her dress was torn.

She never thought she would be mocked by the noble ladies of the Empire.

The Grand Prince naturally heard the mocking voices around him, but he didn’t stop them. He just stared at Anastasia with an indifferent gaze.

That oppressive silence made Anastasia tremble slightly. The Grand Prince was sitting on his warhorse, not even bothering to dismount. This was completely different from the scene Anastasia had imagined countless times.

Due to nervousness and fear, she gripped the hem of her skirt tightly, her palms sweating. Without the Grand Prince’s order, she didn’t even dare to straighten up.

After a long time, the Grand Prince finally spoke:

“Hmm!”

Hmm?

That’s it?

Anastasia stood there dumbfounded, not knowing how to react.

The four guards, walking behind Qin Chu, saw their princess being humiliated like this and felt a surge of anger in their chests.

Only Qin Chu didn’t care about the others, a gentle smile still on his face. Morton, Jason, and Christia all knew that Qin Chu wasn’t on good terms with the Grand Prince. They originally wanted to take Qin Chu into the city through another route, but Qin Chu suddenly stepped forward.

He glanced at the Grand Prince with disdain:

“Lance, get the hell off your horse!”

These words instantly made the surrounding nobles look at each other.

To reprimand the Grand Prince like this, although he was the Hero, wasn’t this a bit too much?

The Grand Prince’s lips twitched.

Seeing that the Grand Prince still hadn’t dismounted, Qin Chu became even more displeased, “What? Are you qualified to ride a horse in front of your uncle? So disrespectful, Wadsworth usually educates you like this?”

Lance’s anger surged. He wanted to tear Qin Chu apart right here and now.

But he couldn’t.

There were Morton, Jason, and Christia, three experts, beside Qin Chu, as well as Ekaterina and Violet. If he really made a move, he might be the one being torn apart.

He took a deep breath, forcing down his anger, and finally dismounted.

He glanced at Anastasia indifferently, “Miss Anastasia, your accommodation is arranged at Sunset Manor. There will be a banquet specifically for you tonight.”

His gaze swept over Anastasia’s dusty and torn dress, “You’d better prepare yourself. Many nobles will be attending. Don’t embarrass me.”

After saying these words, the Grand Prince turned and left without looking back, the group of nobles following behind him like ducklings.

The originally crowded city gate instantly became deserted.

Her first meeting with her future husband was actually like this… Anastasia couldn’t describe how she felt. Her heart felt empty, as if a wound had been torn open, painful and uncomfortable.

She tried hard to control her expression. She didn’t even dare to lower her head, her tears would fall.

Qin Chu felt a little pity for her, then frowned. Sunset Manor, he seemed to have heard of this name.

The four guards were even more indignant.

“Those assassins must have been sent by him, right?”

“He must be unhappy that Her Highness arrived safely in the Imperial City.”

“He doesn’t even bother to pretend…”

The four guards’ indignant voices reached the ears of Morton, Jason, and Christia. The three of them smiled wryly. This was a matter of the royal family, and they couldn’t interfere.

But even they felt that the Grand Prince’s treatment of Anastasia was too much. After all, Anastasia was his fiancée, the princess of the Ice Duchy.

“You three, we’re already in the Imperial City. I’ll escort the princess to her residence. That guy Lance is too incompetent, he didn’t even leave a guide,” Qin Chu shook his head and said.

They had already arrived in the Imperial City, so there shouldn’t be any more problems. The three of them nodded and left. They needed to report back to their superiors.

“Miss Anastasia, I’ll take you there,” Qin Chu said with a gentle smile.

Anastasia turned gracefully, a gentle and beautiful smile returning to her face, but that smile was heartbreaking.

Under Qin Chu’s guidance, it still took them more than an hour to finally find the so-called Sunset Manor. But looking at the dilapidated and dirty building in front of him, Qin Chu frowned… This so-called Sunset Manor wasn’t in the noble district, but in the commoner district.

The four-story manor had over a hundred rooms, with an average of thirty rooms per floor, sharing a common toilet.

This was definitely not the proper etiquette for receiving a princess from another country. This was simply an insult.

The four guards trembled with anger and even advised Anastasia to just return to the Ice Duchy, not to be humiliated here.

But Anastasia knew she couldn’t leave.

The Duchy had to maintain its relationship with the Empire, and she was the link between them.

No matter how much grievance she felt in her heart, she could only endure it alone. She smiled and shook her head, “It’s okay, it should be very clean inside…”

But just looking at the dilapidated exterior, it was clear that the inside couldn’t be much cleaner. They could even see rats and cockroaches crawling around at the entrance.

Anastasia’s words were just self-deception.

Actually, the Auville royal family should have prepared a residence for Anastasia within the Imperial Palace and arranged for maids to serve her. This was the proper etiquette.

Leaving Anastasia in a dilapidated inn in the commoner district, anyone could see that the Grand Prince was deliberately humiliating her.

“I’ll have a good talk with Wadsworth about Lance later…” Qin Chu rubbed his forehead.

At this moment, Qin Chu heard a voice in his mind. It was Anthea’s voice.

After a few seconds, Qin Chu looked at Anastasia with a strange expression:

“Miss Anastasia, why don’t you stay at my place? My house is quite big!”

Chapter 141: The Grand Prince’s Cuckolding 

To be honest, that scene looked a bit strange.

After all, Anthea was so petite. Patting the head of Anastasia, who was much taller than her, felt a bit like a child trying to act like an adult.

Moreover, Anastasia was the princess of the Ice Duchy, a person of noble status.

But Anastasia didn’t feel offended at all. On the contrary, she even felt very comfortable. Although Anthea’s small hand was cold, she felt warmth.

And the smile that appeared on Anthea’s face was something Qin Chu had never seen before.

“What’s your name?” Anthea tilted her head and asked.

“Anastasia Maysfield.”

Anthea repeated the name softly several times, then withdrew her hand and seemed lost in thought. She didn’t say anything more and, under everyone’s surprised gazes, walked towards Qin Chu and entered his body.

This scene startled all five of them.

“Sir, what was that about…?” Anastasia couldn’t help but ask cautiously.

Qin Chu just put a finger to his lips and smiled at Anastasia, “Miss Anastasia, can you keep this a secret for me?”

Since Anthea didn’t say anything more, Qin Chu wouldn’t stir up trouble.

Anastasia was shocked and puzzled, but she still nodded obediently. After all, it was Qin Chu and that petite lady who had saved her, and they seemed to be centered around Qin Chu, so she naturally wouldn’t refuse his request.

Her gaze shifted to behind Qin Chu, and an astonishingly tall woman immediately caught her attention.

Anastasia wasn’t just a princess who needed protection. She also possessed decent strength and was a skilled mage. It was just that she had exhausted her Mana too early in the previous battle, but her perception was still there, and she could sense that this was a very powerful being.

On the other hand, Ekaterina’s unique attire, crimson hair, and crimson armor made Anastasia thoughtful.

Qin Chu didn’t say anything more and just walked towards the four wounded guards. These four were excellent warriors, very strong, around level 70, actually a bit stronger than those assassins, but unfortunately, they were outnumbered.

Holy Light healed their wounds, and the four expressed their gratitude to Qin Chu.

Anastasia also came to Qin Chu again and bowed gracefully, “Respected Hero, please allow me to express my gratitude again. If it weren’t for your help, we would probably have died here.”

After finishing the healing, Qin Chu stood up, raised an eyebrow, and glanced at Anastasia, “You know I’m the Hero?”

Anastasia smiled, “Of course, that lady should be Miss Ekaterina, the Crimson Valkyrie, right? A member of the former Hero Squad, and the current Hero’s close friend.”

“Although we live in a world of ice and snow, we still hear about some important events happening in the Auville Empire.”

The term “close friend” pleased Ekaterina, and she nodded repeatedly.

Smart woman.

Anastasia was very polite. Although she expressed her gratitude to Qin Chu, she didn’t have any physical contact with him. The usual noble etiquette of kissing hands, cheek kisses, and hugs were all absent. She was very reserved.

This was almost impossible in the relatively open Auville Empire.

If it were an ordinary noble lady encountering such a situation, she would probably be thinking about what to name her child seven or eight months later.

Qin Chu smiled, “As a gentleman, I couldn’t bear to watch a beautiful lady being besieged by a group of thugs.”

“Perhaps we can learn something from this person.” Qin Chu’s gaze shifted to the assassin leader, whose legs and shoulder were broken, and who was still groaning.

Looking at these people, Qin Chu was 100% certain that it was Grand Prince Lance’s doing.

However, these words coming from his mouth and from the assassin’s mouth had completely different effects.

The assassin leader’s eyes were dull. Seeing his fifty-plus subordinates being slaughtered in less than ten seconds, he knew he was doomed. This guy did show some manly spirit. As Qin Chu walked towards him, he stared at him with bloodshot eyes, “Don’t even dream about it, I won’t tell you anything… Ahhhhh…”

Before he could finish his sentence, it turned into a shrill scream, his body falling to the ground and convulsing.

A large amount of blood spurted from his shoulder, quickly staining the ground crimson. One of his arms was soaked in blood, his fingers still twitching.

Hiss!

This scene made Anastasia and the four guards’ faces change slightly.

This Hero was ruthless.

The blood-stained blade spun in Qin Chu’s palm. He squatted down in front of the leader, looking at the struggling man with an indifferent tone:

“You’d better understand that there are still many parts on your body. You have eyes, a nose, a tongue, ears, one arm, and two legs…”

“I have plenty of time to play with you slowly.”

“Before you speak, I guarantee you won’t die.”

As he spoke, Qin Chu stretched out his right hand, and Holy Light began to heal the assassin leader’s wounds.

The healing was completed, and the Holy Light dissipated, leaving the world dark and gloomy.

At some point, dark clouds had covered the moon, and Qin Chu’s figure was like a monster hidden in the darkness.

Apart from the sound of breathing, the entire jungle was silent, without a single sound. No nightingales, no insects…

The leader stared at the shadow in front of him, his palms sweating, his body trembling. He didn’t feel any relief from the healing of his wounds and the disappearance of the pain. He felt an unprecedented fear.

Because he knew that a feast of blood and pain awaited him.

This man had enough methods and a cruel enough heart to make him experience unprecedented pain, and he also had enough methods to ensure that he wouldn’t die in the process.

Sometimes, words were more effective than actions… Terrifying scenes flashed through the leader’s mind, his body trembling uncontrollably. He felt like his scalp was about to explode from fear.

His breathing turned into gasps.

Fear conquered loyalty.

The leader’s lips trembled, “It’s…”

“The Grand Prince!”

Hum!

As soon as he said these words, Anastasia and the four guards’ faces changed almost simultaneously.

Anastasia’s face turned deathly pale, and her body even swayed.

Qin Chu could clearly feel the breathing behind him becoming short and rapid.

Lance, it was that idiot, as expected.

In the first playthrough, Lance didn’t seem to have arranged for assassins to kill his fiancée. The Lance in the second playthrough seemed much more ferocious… What caused this change in Lance?

It couldn’t be because of him, right?

Probably not!

Qin Chu adjusted his expression and shouted sharply, “Shut up!”

“How dare you slander the Grand Prince! How could the Grand Prince do such a thing as murdering his own fiancée? I don’t believe he would be so stupid!”

Well, he was that stupid.

It wasn’t surprising that Qin Chu knew that Anastasia was the princess-to-be. Many people in the Auville Empire knew about it.

The leader panicked and desperately tried to defend himself, “It’s true, it’s really His Highness Lance! His Highness Lance ordered us to eliminate the princess of the Ice Duchy. He even arranged for people to blow up the Conrad Demon Beast Nest, wanting to create the illusion of a Demon Beast outbreak and blame the princess’s death on the Demon Beasts, so that he could be with Saintess Loseweisse…”

Qin Chu, who had his back to Anastasia, suddenly smiled. Saying Loseweisse’s name was enough. He would leave the rest to Anastasia and the four guards to imagine.

With a whoosh, Qin Chu punched the leader in the head, and his head exploded like a watermelon. Qin Chu directly eliminated the witness.

Qin Chu stood up, an apologetic look on his face, “Sorry, Princess Anastasia, I couldn’t bear to hear this guy slandering good people even on his deathbed.”

Anastasia forced a smile, but she was a smart woman. Although she was shocked at first, she quickly controlled her emotions. Her icy blue eyes swept over the corpses on the ground, her brows slightly furrowed. No one knew what she was thinking.

Qin Chu hesitated before speaking, “Miss Anastasia, I’m not trying to defend the Grand Prince. Everyone in the Imperial City knows that I’m not on good terms with him.”

“My words might sound a bit harsh to you, but the Grand Prince doesn’t welcome your arrival. But even if he’s infatuated with Saintess Loseweisse, he wouldn’t do something like assassinating his fiancée. That’s too foolish, it might even cause a conflict between the Ice Duchy and the Auville Empire.”

Qin Chu seemed to be defending the Grand Prince, but he didn’t provide any evidence. Moreover, every sentence he said reinforced the impression that the Grand Prince was behind the assassination.

And he casually mentioned Saintess Loseweisse, which just happened to match the name the assassin had mentioned.

Anastasia’s expression remained unchanged, but her heart felt empty and uncomfortable. After all, the man she loved deeply, her future husband, was infatuated with another woman. No matter how she looked at it, it wasn’t something to be happy about.

But she expressed understanding towards the Grand Prince. After all, she and the Grand Prince had never met, it was normal for them to have no feelings. However, Anastasia was confident that she could win back the Grand Prince’s heart.

A bright smile even appeared on Anastasia’s face, “I also believe that His Highness the Grand Prince wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Hero, you said you have a conflict with His Highness the Grand Prince?” Anastasia changed the subject.

And Qin Chu mercilessly brought the topic back, “Well, about that… I’m the Hero. According to the oracle of the Holy See, Saintess Loseweisse is my destined one… You know, the Grand Prince is crazy about Loseweisse. He even fell out with His Majesty Wadsworth for her, even giving up the throne. Naturally, there’s a conflict between us. I don’t have any feelings for the Saintess, but the Grand Prince clearly doesn’t think so.”

He even gave up the throne… This Grand Prince…

The four guards frowned, clearly starting to feel dissatisfied with the Grand Prince. It was too much of a grievance for the princess to marry such a person.

Only Anastasia’s expression remained unchanged, “Hero, you are an elegant knight, and I believe His Highness the Grand Prince is also a very elegant person… This is just a pitiful misunderstanding.”

Anastasia didn’t want there to be a conflict between her future husband and the Hero. This was definitely not a good thing for the Grand Prince.

“Perhaps I can convey your thoughts to the Grand Prince,” Anastasia said with a smile.

Qin Chu spread his hands, “You’d better not. It will bring you unnecessary trouble.”

He pulled out a towel and wiped the blood from his hands, “I think you’re all tired too. It’s getting late now, and night is when the Demon Beasts are most active. Maybe you can rest for a while, and we can continue our journey tomorrow morning.”

Although Anastasia wanted to return to the Imperial City as soon as possible, Qin Chu’s words made sense.

Moreover, although her guards’ injuries had been healed, their physical strength was almost exhausted, and they did need some rest.

Qin Chu and the four guards buried Anastasia’s dead maids and guards. A little further away from the remaining corpses, Qin Chu found a relatively flat area, started a fire, and shared his food with Anastasia.

Anastasia chewed in small bites, the firelight illuminating her icy, crystal-clear face. Her expression was indifferent, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Today was destined to be a difficult day for Anastasia to accept and digest. She was a noble princess, yet, she was almost assassinated, and many of her maids and attendants died in the attack.

And the prime suspect was actually her future husband.

…

The next day, Anastasia opened her eyes as soon as the morning sunlight touched her face.

There was a coat on her body, seemingly the Hero’s.

Ekaterina held her heavy sword, leaning against a large tree with her eyes slightly closed. Miss Violet sat on a branch, looking into the distance.

Anastasia wanted to have a good relationship with Ekaterina and Violet, but unfortunately, these two were very cold and difficult to approach.

As for the petite lady who saved her and her guards yesterday, she hadn’t appeared since entering Qin Chu’s body.

Qin Chu jumped down from the treetop and stretched, “Good morning, Miss Anastasia… Although I wanted to prepare a delicious breakfast for you, unfortunately, we didn’t bring much food, and we ate it all last night. And maybe because of the fight here yesterday, we can’t even find a small animal nearby, so we can only continue our journey hungry.”

Anastasia smiled, “Hero, the women of the Ice Duchy are not so weak.”

Anastasia wasn’t boasting. Although she was a pampered princess, she could keep up with Qin Chu’s pace. Even if her gorgeous dress was torn by the thorns in the jungle, she didn’t care at all.

It was already noon when Qin Chu found their way back to the Conrad military camp.

Morton, Jason, and Christia were arranging for soldiers to search the surrounding jungle and prepare to dig through the collapsed rubble. When they saw Qin Chu appear, these three powerful experts almost wanted to sit down on the ground.

It was great that the Hero was safe.

They asked Qin Chu what had happened. He simply made up a lie, saying that Violet had used a magic scroll to teleport him away, but the location was a bit remote, so he only returned today.

The three of them didn’t investigate further. For them, the Hero being alive was more important than anything else.

Moreover, not only was the Hero alive, he had also saved the princess of the Ice Duchy, the Grand Prince’s fiancée…

They didn’t dare to delay, afraid that something might happen to the Hero again. They requisitioned some warhorses from the military camp and returned to the Imperial City without a word.

…

At the gate of the Imperial City, the Grand Prince was waiting with his honor guard. He still had to keep up appearances.

He had been waiting since yesterday evening. He was certain that Anastasia couldn’t have appeared in the Imperial City, but because he didn’t want to stay in his room, he still insisted on waiting at the city gate.

Those who didn’t know the truth were even moved by the Grand Prince’s devotion.

As the sky gradually darkened, the Grand Prince yawned. He was a little tired and was about to return to his room to sleep. But at this moment, he suddenly saw small, dark figures appearing in the distance. They seemed to be warhorses galloping, kicking up dust.

As they got closer, the Grand Prince finally saw clearly that it was Morton, the Captain of the Royal Knights, who was leading the way.

Was the Hero back?

The Grand Prince felt irritated. He knew that Morton and some experts from the Holy See and the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess had escorted the Hero to train.

He didn’t want to see the Hero and was about to leave.

But soon, two figures appeared behind Morton.

One of them was the Hero Qin Chu, whom the Grand Prince hated the most.

And the other… even from a distance, he could still tell that it was a very familiar and beautiful woman. Perhaps because she was riding a horse, her icy blue hair fluttered behind her.

It was his fiancée, Anastasia.

The Grand Prince shivered, his expression suddenly turning very strange.

Why did his fiancée appear with Qin Chu? Why was Anastasia still alive? Could it be that Qin Chu saved her?

This damned bastard, always ruining his plans.

The two of them seemed to be getting along quite well, even chatting while riding. With Battle Qi focused in his eyes, the Grand Prince could clearly see Anastasia covering her mouth and chuckling, seemingly amused by something Qin Chu said.

Soon, he saw that Anastasia was wearing a man’s coat. That was… Qin Chu’s coat?

Could it be that they were together last night? Why was Anastasia wearing Qin Chu’s coat? Why did she look disheveled, her dress seemingly torn?

His fists subconsciously clenched, and his teeth gnashed together.

A gust of wind blew, and the Grand Prince felt something land on his top hat. He reached out and took it off. It was an emerald green leaf!

**

T/N: In Chinese culture, a green hat is a symbol of Infidelity or cuckoldry(“Green leaf” makes a reference to it.)

• The person wearing the green hat is the one being cheated on by their lover.

 

Chapter 140: Anthea and Anastasia

Anthea’s reaction shocked Qin Chu.

Since Anthea started following him, apart from obeying his orders, she would at most appear on her own initiative when there was potential danger, acting as a guard.

She was indifferent to everything in this world.

At first, she would sit on the windowsill, gazing at the city outside, but she quickly lost interest. No one in this world except Qin Chu could make Anthea care.

This was the first time she had actively asked Qin Chu to save someone… Although with Anthea’s strength, she could easily do it herself. But Anthea didn’t do that. She subconsciously obeyed Qin Chu’s orders. Before he ordered her to save someone, she wouldn’t do anything.

However, in her deep blue eyes, Qin Chu could sense a plea.

Qin Chu looked at Anthea, then turned his gaze back to the battlefield.

Anastasia Maysfield!

Grand Prince Lance’s fiancée.

This woman was so beautiful that Qin Chu felt even Grand Prince Lance wasn’t worthy of her!

She was elegant and dignified. She was chosen by Wadsworth to be his son’s princess consort as soon as she was born, waiting to be married when she came of age. Therefore, the education she received since childhood was different from that of ordinary noble girls. She learned the etiquette of a princess consort, and loyalty and love for her husband were instilled in her heart.

Although she had never met him, she deeply loved the man who was destined to become her husband.

But her deep affection wasn’t reciprocated. On the night she arrived in the Auville Imperial City, she was publicly humiliated and even slapped by the Grand Prince at the welcoming banquet.

After apologizing gracefully, Anastasia left the banquet and committed suicide by taking Nightshade flowers late at night.

The woman who was supposed to become a peerless princess consort perished just like that.

As he watched, Qin Chu suddenly had a strange feeling. He felt that Anastasia’s face was inexplicably similar to Anthea’s.

Connecting this to what Anthea had just said, Qin Chu’s pupils constricted abruptly, “Violet…”

“What is Anthea’s full name?”

The Valkyrie Anthea, Protector of the Nation. The Empire promoted her legend, seemingly deliberately. In these legends, there was only the name Anthea, not her full name.

Violet’s eyes narrowed slightly, giving Qin Chu an answer, “Anthea Maysfield!”

Hiss!

What a vicious method.

Goosebumps erupted all over Qin Chu’s body.

He instantly understood the vicious and cruel methods the Emperor of the Auville Empire had used against Anthea a thousand years ago.

This cruelty had lasted for a thousand years.

Anthea was too strong, so strong that it frightened the Emperor at that time. They used insidious methods to poison Anthea, bound her with chains, and burned her in flames. Finally, they sealed her remains in a stone statue, carving a vicious seal to bind her soul.

And this was only part of the Emperor’s scheme.

He nominally granted the head of the Maysfield family at that time the title of Grand Duke, making him the most noble besides the Emperor, but he banished the Maysfield family to the icy north.

The Emperor feared Anthea’s power, yet he also coveted it.

He hoped that the Aberchian family could also have such a powerful warrior. He had his son marry a woman from the Maysfield family, hoping to obtain the excellent talent inherited through their bloodline.

He used his imperial power and powerful military force to coerce the Maysfield family into marrying into the Aberchian family for generations. On the eve of every change in imperial power, the Maysfield family had to offer their most outstanding daughter.

This process had lasted for over a thousand years.

Perhaps the Maysfield family’s bloodline could truly inherit excellent talent. For over a thousand years, the emperors of the Auville Empire, whether wise and capable or foolish and incompetent, all possessed strength that placed them at the top of the empire.

Even Wadsworth was the same.

And now, Anastasia Maysfield, Anthea’s descendant, was also being offered as a sacrifice to Grand Prince Lance.

Anthea had saved this country, but brought a thousand years of disaster to her own family.

The thoughts of these powerful figures were truly chillingly twisted.

Anthea had long lost her memory and was indifferent to almost everything in this world. She became interested in Qin Chu because he possessed the power of life.

Her reaction to Anastasia was probably purely due to the power in their bloodline.

Qin Chu lowered his eyelids and walked forward step by step, “Anthea, do as you wish.”

A look of surprise appeared on Anthea’s usually frighteningly calm face for the first time, her eyes brightening.

At this moment, on the battlefield, the assassin leader’s eyes still held a mocking smile as he looked at the four guards whose movements were getting slower and slower, their bodies covered in more and more wounds. He kept trying to wear down their fighting spirit with words, “Surrender, at least you can die a quick death.”

“No one will come to save you. Your deaths are already predestined.”

“If you surrender obediently, maybe we’ll let the princess die with some dignity. Otherwise, with over fifty brothers here, I can’t guarantee what will happen to Her Highness… Hehehe…”

The leader’s voice was sinister and twisted, his hoarse laughter grating…

At this moment, with a clap, a hand seemed to land on the leader’s shoulder. The assassin leader’s eyes, filled with a sinister grin, constricted abruptly, and his shrill laughter came to an abrupt stop.

His body froze.

Beads of sweat seeped out from his forehead, rolling down his cheeks.

Hiss…

Who was this person? He appeared behind him without a sound, he hadn’t sensed him at all. If this person launched a sneak attack from behind…

An indescribable fear swept over him, and goosebumps erupted all over the leader’s body, his scalp tingling.

He didn’t dare to move. The other party’s hand was still on his shoulder, and it would be as easy as flipping a hand to take his life.

His throat twitched, and he felt his mouth watering rapidly. Suppressing the urge to scream, the leader controlled his fear and spoke in as calm a tone as possible:

“Who are you? What do you want to do… It’s better not to get involved in some things, otherwise, you’ll bring trouble upon yourself…”

Then, the leader felt the hand on his shoulder slowly lift.

The leader breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak, but the hand that had just been lifted fell again, as if to brush off the dust from his shoulder.

“Noisy!”

Along with the cold voice from behind, the leader felt a terrifying force land directly on his shoulder.

The next instant, the bones in his shoulder were instantly shattered, his legs couldn’t support his weight, his knees snapped, and he fell to his knees with a thud, followed by a shrill scream.

The seemingly light fingers contained a terrifying power that the leader couldn’t withstand.

Qin Chu didn’t do anything else, leaving the rest to Anthea.

The leader’s shrill screams attracted the attention of many assassins. Although they were in the middle of a battle, they couldn’t help but turn their heads. But before they could see what was happening behind them, they only saw a dark red spear, wrapped in a piercing shriek, tearing through the air like a meteor.

Dark red flames, like vipers, coiled around the spear, making it look even more terrifying.

The spear’s speed was too fast. Even though these assassins were all quite skilled, their eyes couldn’t even follow the spear’s trajectory at this moment. It was as if the spear was moving through space, leaping forward.

In an instant, the spearhead appeared before an assassin. It pierced through his chest in a flash, the rapidly spinning spear shaft scraping away a large chunk of flesh, bone, and blood from his chest, leaving only a bowl-sized hole. He was clearly dead.

That wasn’t all. After piercing through one person’s body, the spear’s speed didn’t decrease at all. Continuous thudding sounds could be heard as four or five assassins in front of the spear were pierced through like candied hawthorns on a stick.

Then, as if guided by something, the spear flew back in reverse.

Anthea’s figure finally appeared.

Her petite body was still surrounded by dark red flames, clad in seemingly damaged armor, her golden hair fluttering in the wind, black chains wrapped around her small frame.

Her narrow face, with its demonic beauty, was cold and indifferent.

The assassins were horrified. Six of their companions were instantly killed. Anyone could tell that this petite girl was an extremely powerful expert. They also saw that their leader was already suppressed and kneeling on the ground, screaming in pain.

At this moment, the assassins also showed their ferocious side. They howled like beasts, nearly half of them charging towards Anthea like a storm.

In an instant, Anthea was surrounded by assassins from all sides, their sharp blades gleaming coldly under the moonlight.

Behind them, several mages began chanting lengthy spells simultaneously.

Two archers had already drawn their bows, their sharp arrows aimed at the small figure.

“Be careful…” Anastasia couldn’t help but exclaim.

She didn’t know who this girl was, but she was at least not an enemy. She felt subconsciously worried.

Anthea’s small body remained motionless, her cold gaze sweeping over the enemies rushing towards her. Her slender hand finally raised and extended forward.

The next second, the chains wrapped around her body transformed into dark red vipers, tearing through the air with a hissing sound.

The chains twisted and shuttled through the night sky!

An assassin tried to block the chain that was heading for his chest with his dagger, but before the dagger could touch the chain, it suddenly wrapped around him and pierced through his chest from behind.

A mage activated a magic shield, but a chain swept over and shattered the magic shield with a bang. The mage’s body was sent flying, and just as he opened his mouth to spit out a mouthful of blood, another chain instantly pierced through his head from his mouth.

An archer tried to escape, but a chain quickly extended along the ground, wrapping around his leg. The next instant, his entire body was hanging in mid-air. Another chain snaked over and wrapped around his neck. With a desperate wail, the two chains suddenly tightened, and his body was torn in two, blood staining the night sky.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

The vipers danced wildly.

The cold chains mercilessly pierced through one body after another.

Blood spurted.

The pungent smell of blood spread in the night wind.

The difference in strength between the two sides was too great. Even though these assassins were quite skilled, they didn’t even have the strength to fight back in front of Anthea, only waiting desperately for their slaughter.

In the blink of an eye, only corpses with pierced chests, necks, or heads remained on the ground. Some of them weren’t even completely dead yet, their bodies twitching like frogs.

That wasn’t all. The chains on Anthea’s body continued to extend, becoming longer and longer. In a short time, the entire area was sealed off by the dancing chains.

Desperate wails and dying screams rose and fell.

The four guards, trembling all over, protected Anastasia behind them. Although the chains didn’t attack them, the scene before them still made their hair stand on end.

Perhaps after only a few seconds, the screams stopped, and the night sky returned to silence, only the smell of blood lingering in the air.

The chains also returned to Anthea’s body. She tilted her head in confusion. If it weren’t for the fact that she had just easily ended dozens of lives, this gesture would have even looked cute.

She lifted her slender leg, dragging the chains on her body, and walked towards Anastasia step by step.

Her eyes were filled with confusion, sadness, and a hint of curiosity.

The four guards were startled, their bodies instinctively tensing up. Their palms, gripping their weapons, were covered in sweat, their fingers trembling slightly. It was a reaction their bodies couldn’t control.

Anthea was too strong, a power they couldn’t possibly contend with.

But even so, the four guards didn’t retreat a single step. Protecting the princess was their duty.

But such vigilance was quite rude to their savior. Anastasia took a deep breath and ordered the four guards to step back.

The four guards hesitated for a moment, then finally retreated a few steps. There was nothing they could do, they couldn’t defeat her anyway…

Finally, Anthea arrived in front of Anastasia.

Anastasia took a deep breath and spoke formally with standard noble etiquette, “Respected and powerful lady, thank you for… Eh…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Anastasia’s voice was filled with surprise. The petite, beautiful, and extraordinarily powerful lady in front of her suddenly raised her right hand, her slender fingers reaching out to caress her cheek.

This made Anastasia puzzled, not understanding what she was doing.

Then, Anthea stretched out her small hand, seemingly wanting to pat Anastasia’s head!

However, she seemed too short compared to Anastasia, her hand couldn’t reach. This seemed to make Anthea a little depressed, and then she stood on tiptoe, finally reaching Anastasia’s forehead.

Her small hand patted gently.

A smile appeared on Anthea’s face.

A very, very gentle smile…

Chapter 139: The Ice Princess 

“From now on, you stay in this room. You are not allowed to go anywhere except to welcome Anastasia and for essential official occasions. Reflect on your actions!”

After throwing down these words, the furious Wadsworth stormed out, ordering the guards to seal off the area and forbid the Grand Prince from leaving the residence unless absolutely necessary.

He also summoned the attendant waiting outside. Lindberg absolutely couldn’t continue to live in this world. If they needed to investigate the matter afterward, they could simply shift all the blame onto Lindberg, claiming that he acted on his own to curry favor with the Grand Prince.

Poor Lindberg. He had been enjoying the company of beautiful women at the Fairy House for the past two days, completely unaware that this was the last pleasure he would ever experience.

Inside the residence, Lance’s face was contorted.

The magic scroll in his hand healed the wound his father had inflicted on his face, but the trauma in his heart couldn’t be healed so easily.

Because of the princess consort incident, his relationship with his father had been very strained in recent years. He couldn’t understand why the Aberchian family insisted on upholding the thousand-year-old tradition of marrying women from the Maysfield family.

He never imagined that his father would accuse him of murdering the Hero so indiscriminately.

He heard the orders his father gave outside and knew what Lindberg’s fate would be, but he was powerless to change it.

Just like his father’s attendant, Lindberg had been his companion since childhood. Although they weren’t brothers, they were closer than real brothers.

Qin Chu!

Suddenly, the Hero’s name emerged in the Grand Prince’s mind.

That’s right, it was this guy! It must have been this damned bastard who deliberately framed him and sowed discord between him and his father, wanting to leave him with no one to rely on.

He also wanted to steal Loseweisse away from him.

No… Loseweisse was his. No one could take her away.

Tiny, dark red scales suddenly appeared on Lance’s eyeballs, like a thin film covering his pupils, leaving only a bloody crimson in his vision.

“Give me power!”

With a hoarse voice, Lance looked towards the Void, giving the order to that mysterious, unknown existence.

Soon, the scales began to spread across Lance’s body, covering him completely in the blink of an eye. Then, like shedding skin, they peeled off layer by layer.

After the scales fell off, Lance’s aura clearly expanded, seemingly stronger than before.

Hahahahaha…

Inside the residence, the Grand Prince laughed hysterically.

Along with his mad laughter, the scales began to spread across his body again.

Madness filled his eyes. Noble Saintess Loseweisse, please wait patiently. I will definitely save you from Qin Chu’s clutches.

…

Meanwhile, at the Conrad Demon Beast Nest.

Qin Chu, Ekaterina, and Violet had already reached the deepest level of the cave.

Just as the explosion occurred, Qin Chu used the small spatial magic formation imprinted on the magic scroll to teleport the three of them here.

Listening to the continuous rumbling and the tremors beneath their feet, Qin Chu’s expression was strange, “Violet, I just asked you to create some chaos so that I could separate from those people. Why did you cause such a big commotion?”

Judging from the sound, the mountain above the Conrad Demon Beast Nest was about to collapse, right? The violent rumbling and tremors spread hundreds of meters underground, and dust fell from the ceiling.

He didn’t know if this power was stronger than a nuclear warhead on Earth.

It almost caused the entire Demon Beast nest to collapse. If Qin Chu hadn’t used the spatial teleportation magic scroll and the pseudo-Immovable as a Mountain ability in time, they would have been injured.

However, there was also clear confusion on Violet’s beautiful face. She shook her head, “I didn’t do it. The explosion happened before I could do anything.”

Qin Chu was stunned. Anthea and Shaye’s figures simultaneously emerged from his body. Anthea held her spear, and together with Violet and Ekaterina, they remained vigilant of their surroundings.

Shaye lay on top of Qin Chu’s head, “I just sensed the aura of Mana bombs. Someone must have planted bombs in the cave in advance, waiting for you to enter and then detonate them.”

Shaye’s words angered Qin Chu. Someone was trying to assassinate him! This was a truly insidious method. He was such a good person, elegant and gentlemanly, he hadn’t offended anyone…

Uh… Qin Chu’s fingers passed through Shaye’s head and scratched his hair. It seemed that he had indeed offended quite a few people.

For example, Athena. Of course, because Athena thought there was Jie Luo’s remnant soul in his body, she definitely wouldn’t do this.

Loseweisse… She wouldn’t do this either, so she could be ruled out.

After thinking about it, it seemed that Grand Prince Lance was the most likely suspect.

Damn it, how dare you plot against me! I’ll kill you later.

But the most important issue now was how to absorb power. This was a rare opportunity, and he couldn’t miss it.

This was the deepest part of the Demon Beast nest. Qin Chu had been here in the first playthrough and was very familiar with it. He could hear rustling sounds, clearly some strange creatures were approaching in the darkness.

Although there was no light here, the darkness couldn’t affect Qin Chu’s vision. He could clearly see his surroundings. The cave was about ten meters high, surrounded by rugged rocks. There were countless openings leading to unknown places, densely packed and intertwined like the blood vessels in a human body. A sinister, fishy smell permeated the air.

A large number of round worms, about three meters long and fifty centimeters in diameter, were wriggling on the ground, the walls, and the ceiling. They looked similar to Phantoms, their bodies covered in dense fluff, their abdomens with countless soft, wriggling limbs.

Perhaps because they were too round and fat, bumps appeared on their bodies as they moved.

The front end of their bodies wasn’t a mouth, but a bunch of wriggling tentacles like those of an octopus, the insides of the tentacles covered in dense, hard barbs.

Among the dense tentacles, there was also an oval, tubular object that could spray highly corrosive acid.

The barbs and acid on their tentacles allowed them to easily dig through hard rocks. Almost all the intertwined tunnels in the Demon Beast nests were their handiwork.

Burrowing Worms!

This was the name humans gave to these Demon Beasts.

They weren’t very strong, averaging around level 30, but… their numbers were simply too large.

Everywhere he looked, there were Burrowing Worms. Their ugly and disgusting appearance didn’t affect Qin Chu at all. In his eyes, they were just mountains of small experience packs.

“Then… Devour!”

Taking a deep breath, a smile appeared on Qin Chu’s face. He spread his arms, and countless slender, translucent tentacles like those of a slime emerged from his body, extending rapidly in all directions.

As soon as the strange tentacles wrapped around a Burrowing Worm, the Devourer’s effect immediately took place. In less than two seconds, the Burrowing Worm’s power was drained by Qin Chu, its body quickly shrivelling up, falling to the ground and turning into dust.

In a short time, the surroundings were cleared. Seeing the Burrowing Worms in front of him still wriggling and slowly crawling towards him, Qin Chu was too impatient to wait for them to approach. He walked forward, leaving only shriveled corpses in his wake.

The Grand Prince wanted to create the illusion of a Demon Beast outbreak, blaming the assassination of his fiancée, Anastasia, on the Demon Beasts.

The military camp near Conrad was also on high alert. The nest had been destroyed, the seal broken, and a large number of Demon Beasts would soon swarm out.

But no one knew that not a single Demon Beast would leave this nest. All of them would be absorbed by Qin Chu as experience packs.

Although the gains from each Demon Beast were small, the feeling of his strength slowly increasing every second fascinated Qin Chu. He was like a greedy glutton, devouring everything.

At some point, Qin Chu had even reached the entrance to the abyss at the deepest part of the nest.

It was a huge, purplish-black void, leading to an unknown world. An endless stream of Demon Beasts emerged from this void. The Demon Beasts appearing here were no longer just Burrowing Worms. More and more other types of Demon Beasts began to appear, some of them quite powerful.

The Demon Beasts on the other side of the entrance seemed to have sensed that the seal of the nest had been broken. A large number of them swarmed out, eager to rush out and wreak havoc in the outside world. But unfortunately, only destruction awaited them.

Even those powerful Demon Beasts would be severely injured by Ekaterina, Anthea, and Violet as soon as they appeared, then thrown to Qin Chu as large experience packs.

Qin Chu didn’t know how much power he had drained from the Demon Beasts. He only knew that the corpses of the Demon Beasts had filled the cave, and he even had to assign someone to clean up the corpses.

Bang!

A huge troll, over nine meters tall, had just poked its massive, round head out of the entrance. Before it could even get up from the ground, Violet descended from the sky like a gust of wind.

With a muffled thud, her slender leg, with its delicate foot, slammed heavily onto the troll’s head. The hard head of this powerful Demon Beast, over level 75, instantly caved in.

Its legs couldn’t withstand Violet’s power and snapped with a crack. Its body knelt on the ground, and a shrill scream erupted from its bumpy head.

The next second, the Devourer enveloped it like jelly, instantly draining the troll’s body, leaving only a huge, dried corpse standing at the entrance.

With the troll’s death, the Demon Beasts in the abyss on the other side of the entrance seemed to sense that there was a terrifying hunter constantly hunting them.

The endless stream of Demon Beasts came to an abrupt halt.

Level: 61
Class: Hero
Strength: 527
Stamina: 466
Agility: 671
Spirit: 1802
Defense: 958
Charm: 6

Qin Chu checked his stats. They had indeed greatly improved. As expected, the Devourer was the fastest way to increase his strength.

But Qin Chu could also clearly feel that the growth rate was getting slower and slower.

He didn’t know how long he had stayed in this darkness, slaughtering no less than eight thousand Demon Beasts, but his level had only increased from 47 to 61.

He felt that this growth rate was a little too slow, and it was getting slower and slower.

“Shaye, are you stealing my experience?” Qin Chu scratched his head and asked suspiciously.

“Ha, how is that possible? Why would this Witch steal your experience? Don’t talk nonsense.”

Shaye immediately answered, but there was a hint of guilt in her voice.

Seeing that Qin Chu was just casually asking and didn’t pursue the matter further, Shaye and Anthea both secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Even some existences within his body seemed to be rejoicing.

He waited at the entrance of the nest. After an unknown amount of time, a humanoid creature with two curved horns on its head and large bat wings on its back emerged from the entrance. It had a beautiful, almost demonic face, and its body exuded a sinister charm.

In an instant, the gazes of Qin Chu, Anthea, Violet, Ekaterina, and Shaye all focused on this creature.

The strange Greater Demon shivered.

In the next moment, its handsome face turned deathly pale. Without a moment’s hesitation, it turned its head and dove back into the abyss. Then, even the purplish-black entrance closed completely and disappeared without a trace.

The few of them looked at each other, Ekaterina’s heavy sword not even raised, Anthea’s spear not even swung, and Violet’s fist still hanging in mid-air…

In the end, this Greater Demon, clearly many times stronger than the previous Demon Beasts, actually just ran away!

Ran away?

Among Demon Beasts, the closer their appearance was to humans, the higher their rank.

If Qin Chu remembered correctly, that guy just now should be one of the Seventeen Abyssal Demon Generals under the Demon King Nagath. His level should be close to 90. If they could have captured him, the rewards would have been extraordinary.

Unfortunately, the higher the rank of a Demon Beast, the higher its intelligence. This guy ran away too quickly, decisively and without any hesitation. As expected of a Demon General, he even closed the entrance to the nest, completely cutting off Qin Chu’s thoughts.

Qin Chu had no choice but to start his journey back.

He unfolded the magic scroll, and a huge magic formation appeared beneath the feet of Qin Chu, Violet, and Ekaterina. With a bright flash of light, their figures vanished abruptly. When they reappeared, they were already out of the cave, surrounded by a dense jungle.

It was already late at night, and two full moons cast a silver light in the sky.

Just as Qin Chu was trying to figure out their current location, he suddenly heard the sound of metal clashing. He subconsciously walked towards the source of the sound, and soon he saw dozens of assassins in black tight-fitting clothes in the forest, surrounding six people. Their daggers continuously launched fierce attacks, and some of the black-clad people on the outer perimeter held staffs, casting lightning, ice, and fire spells with surging Mana.

With a hiss, a man in armor was struck by lightning, his body instantly paralyzed. In the next second, four or five daggers pierced through his body almost simultaneously. With a thud, long wounds appeared on his throat, heart, and abdomen. Blood spurted out, and his body collapsed to the ground.

The remaining four guards quickly changed their formation, back to back, resisting attacks from all directions while protecting a woman in the center.

It was a beautiful young woman with icy blue hair that shimmered mysteriously under the moonlight. An ice-white dress wrapped around her curvy figure, her skin as fair and delicate as snow. Her icy blue eyes sparkled brighter than gems, making the moons in the sky lose their color.

Perhaps because of Mana exhaustion, her face was even paler. Her fair hands were clenched tightly, but she couldn’t squeeze out any Mana.

So beautiful!

Even though Qin Chu had many outstanding women around him, he couldn’t help but admire this woman when he saw her.

Her beauty even overshadowed Saintess Loseweisse.

A large number of corpses were scattered around, including those of the assassins in black, the woman’s maids, and her guards.

The situation was clearly not good for this woman. Only four of her most loyal and powerful guards were left by her side, but they were already covered in wounds and clearly couldn’t last much longer. The enemy’s strength was ten times greater than theirs.

But even in this desperate situation, the woman didn’t lose her elegance and nobility. Her cold eyes swept over the assassins who kept charging at her, and her icy white lips finally parted, her voice as clear as cracking ice:

“I am Anastasia Maysfield, Princess of the Ice Duchy. Who are you? Why are you attacking me? Have you considered the consequences?”

It was her… The Grand Prince’s fiancée.

He didn’t expect to encounter this pitiful girl after leaving the Demon Beast nest.

In the first playthrough, Qin Chu didn’t have much interaction with Anastasia. He only met her once at a banquet, and then she committed suicide that night.

She was a beautiful and pitiful woman.

“Consequences? There will be no consequences,” said the assassin leader, his face covered with a veil, standing at the back of the group, his voice filled with mockery.

“Stop struggling, death is your only destination.”

“No one will come to save you.”

At this moment, Anthea, who was beside Qin Chu, suddenly frowned, a strange expression on her face.

A few seconds later, Anthea suddenly looked up at Qin Chu, “Save her.”

Huh?

Qin Chu was stunned, not understanding Anthea’s reaction. She rarely took the initiative like this.

“She and I…” Anthea thought hard, but she couldn’t describe the feeling, “She and I seem to have some kind of connection…”

Chapter 138: The Grand Prince Shed Tears of Grievance

Rumble…

The earth shook.

An earthquake-like energy spread beneath their feet, the violent impact frantically destroying everything around them. Huge rocks began to fall from the ceiling.

Several knights with insufficient strength were instantly blown to pieces.

The underground explosion was so sudden that even those powerful experts couldn’t react in time. They were directly thrown away by the violent energy.

The intense tremors even spread for dozens of kilometers. Even the distant military camp shook under the violent impact, the tents being blown away.

Shocked soldiers ran out of the camp. The raging wind, carrying sand and dust, stung their eyes. Through the dust, they could only see a distant mountain peak collapse, a large cloud of dust billowing into the sky like a giant mushroom.

After a long time, another boom.

The piled-up rubble was shattered by an immense force, and a figure in armor flew out of the dust, uncontainable anger on his rough face.

Morton, Captain of the Royal Knights.

Soon, another figure appeared, Jason, Vice-Captain of the Holy Knights.

Then, Archbishop Christia of the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess also flew out from the collapsed rocks, her white and gold robe stained with dirt, her beautiful face filled with anger.

Besides the three of them, everyone else had been buried in the explosion.

The explosion had a power comparable to Super-tier magic.

The three figures hovered in the air in a triangular formation, their expressions grim, their eyes filled with flames of anger. After a few seconds, Morton spoke in a hoarse voice, “Where is the Hero?”

Many of his brothers had died in the explosion, but Morton didn’t have time to worry about them. The most important question now was… Where was the Hero?

“Missing,” Christia said coldly after a long time.

This was the worst-case scenario.

With experts from the Empire, the Holy See, and the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess jointly guarding him, the Hero had still gone missing. This was an unprecedented disgrace.

More importantly, the Hero’s existence was related to the survival of the Heavenly Continent. If the Hero had really died in the explosion, then…

Sage Mountain needed a long time to prepare to summon another Hero. Thinking about how the human world might be slaughtered by Demon Beasts during this time, the three of them turned pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

“Sigh…” Christia suppressed the anger and anxiety in her chest, her lips pursed, “Morton, Jason, don’t panic…”

“Ekaterina and Violet were with the Hero. I saw that when the explosion was about to happen, Violet seemed to sense something. She’s stronger than us, she should have been able to prepare in advance and protect the Hero.”

Morton and Jason’s expressions softened a little. Christia was a powerful mage, and her perception of various powers was more acute.

“Then let’s immediately command the army over there to dig through the collapsed mountain and find the Hero…” Morton said subconsciously.

“No, there’s another more important question now…” Christia said in a deep voice.

“Don’t you think the explosion just now was too coincidental? Moreover, I also sensed the aura of Mana bombs.”

“The explosion happened right after we entered the Demon Beast nest. The strangest thing is that the Hero was right at the center of the explosion.”

“You’re saying that someone deliberately used Mana bombs to try to kill the Hero?” Jason and Morton weren’t stupid and immediately thought of this possibility.

“But can Mana bombs have such destructive power?”

Mana bombs were easy to use, just throw them out, and they would explode upon impact. But their destructive power wasn’t that great.

“One Mana bomb naturally can’t, but what if it was a thousand, ten thousand, or even more Mana bombs exploding simultaneously?” Christia’s eyes narrowed, “The person who wants to kill the Hero must know his whereabouts very well.”

“Moreover, gathering so many Mana bombs is definitely not an easy task. It requires a long time of accumulation.”

“It’s very likely that before the Hero was summoned, the other party was already plotting to assassinate him.”

Hearing Christia’s words, Morton and Jason exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other’s eyes. They almost exclaimed in unison, “Grand Prince Lance!”

That’s right, this was the only possibility.

Because the oracle stated that the Saintess would be the Hero’s lover.

This directly led to Grand Prince Lance being the most resistant to the summoning of the Second Hero, even more so than the members of the former Hero Squad.

Lance was deeply in love with Loseweisse, his obsession with the Saintess bordering on madness. And Lance’s personality was impulsive and extreme. He was truly capable of doing such a thing.

As the Grand Prince, Lance had many informants and spies. It wasn’t difficult for him to know the Hero’s whereabouts.

“And not long ago, when I went to the Mage Association on business, I happened to see Lindberg, Lance’s confidant, ordering a large number of Mana bombs…”

As soon as she said this, everyone was almost certain that it was Grand Prince Lance who, out of jealousy, tried to murder the Hero!

Even Morton, the Captain of the Royal Knights, felt that such a prince was too unqualified and not worthy of inheriting the throne.

If the throne fell into Lance’s hands, the destruction of the empire could be foreseen in the near future.

Morton took a deep breath, “The struggle for the throne has nothing to do with me. I am loyal to His Majesty, not anyone else. I will report what happened here truthfully to His Majesty. As for how to decide, that is His Majesty’s matter.”

As he spoke, Morton unfolded a magic scroll.

…

In the Imperial City.

Wadsworth sat leisurely on the sofa, leaning against the soft cushions, a beautiful and voluptuous young woman in his arms. She looked to be in her early twenties.

Her snake-like, enchanting body wriggled gently in Wadsworth’s embrace.

This woman wasn’t one of his wives, although he had over a hundred wives… Each one of them was beautiful and graceful, but as the saying went…

The flowers at home are not as fragrant as the wild flowers? The First Hero seemed to have said that.

The woman in his arms was the daughter of a certain Viscount. Her charming demeanor made Wadsworth very pleased, and most importantly, she was young.

Which man didn’t like young and beautiful girls?

Although he was the Emperor, he occasionally needed to relax. Otherwise, the mountain of political affairs would shorten his life by several years.

He was very confident in his disguise skills. The girl in front of him didn’t notice his true identity, only the innate noble aura that made people think he must be a high-ranking noble.

Wadsworth’s hairy paw landed on the woman’s waist, moving down her slender waist with ill intentions. Just as it was about to reach a crucial area, it was swatted away by the woman.

“Uncle, your hand is very naughty…”

Wadsworth wasn’t angry. On the contrary, her sweet voice made his bones melt.

This woman was very charming and flirtatious, but every time Wadsworth wanted to go further, he would be stopped by her. Wadsworth never forced her, he enjoyed this feeling of flirting.

Lifting the woman’s chin with his finger and looking directly into her light green eyes, Wadsworth said shamelessly:

“What uncle? Call me brother…”

On the other side, the attendant sitting on the sofa not far away, drinking tea, his hand trembled when he heard these words, and he was speechless.

Shameless! How shameless!

Don’t you even look at your own age? You’re fifty or sixty years old, and you’re asking people to call you brother? Are you embarrassed?

This scene was truly unbearable to watch. Fortunately, no one recognized Wadsworth’s identity. Otherwise, the Empire would lose all face.

Wadsworth’s bearded mouth moved to the woman’s long, fair neck, kissing it repeatedly.

His rough beard seemed to tickle the woman, and she giggled.

Just as Wadsworth was about to capture her lips, he suddenly felt a tickling sensation in his ear, which made his face fall.

Who was it, so inconsiderate, disturbing him at this time? He would definitely deduct their salary later.

Although he was very irritated, Wadsworth knew that those who could contact him through Information Magic were not ordinary people. He let go of the woman in his arms, “Beautiful lady, please wait a moment, I seem to have something to deal with.”

Apologizing to the woman gracefully, Wadsworth pressed his hand to his ear and walked to the side. Soon, his expression changed, like a furious lion, his fist clenching with a cracking sound.

The attendant who accompanied him immediately realized that something had happened and quickly put down his teacup, standing up and coming to Wadsworth’s side.

“Unfilial son, unfilial son… unfilial son…”

Hearing this low growl, the attendant immediately understood that His Highness the Grand Prince had done something to anger His Majesty again. This was normal, it happened several times a week. But the attendant keenly noticed that His Majesty’s reaction this time was more intense than ever.

Wadsworth’s eyes were spitting fire. At this moment, the Emperor was like a ferocious beast, ready to devour someone.

That look made the noble lady who was about to approach him shiver and not dare to come any closer.

Wadsworth rushed out of the restaurant without looking back and headed straight for the palace. The attendant who accompanied him wisely didn’t ask what had happened. He understood that there were many things he shouldn’t know, even though he had a good relationship with His Majesty since childhood.

Rushing all the way to the Grand Prince’s residence, there were two attendants at the gate of the palace. Seeing His Majesty Wadsworth appear in a rage, their faces immediately changed. They subconsciously stood in front of Wadsworth, saluting him, their mouths open as if they wanted to ask what was the matter.

But before they could speak, Wadsworth waved his hand, “Get out of my way!”

The two attendants were sent flying backwards, crashing heavily against the wall. By the time they fell to the ground, they were no longer breathing.

Wadsworth kicked open the door to Lance’s bedroom with a powerful kick, the door shattering into pieces. When Wadsworth saw the scene inside the room, his blood rushed to his head, and he almost fainted.

In the large room, there were dozens of figures, both men and women.

Their clothes were scattered on the floor, even Lance was the same. Everyone’s face was filled with obsession and madness.

Damn it!

Unfilial son, you disgrace!

Seeing the Emperor suddenly appear, everyone was startled, the obsession and madness on their faces quickly replaced by fear.

“Get out of here, all of you!”

Wadsworth roared angrily.

The figures hurriedly picked up their clothes from the floor and rushed out of the Grand Prince’s bedroom. The attendant at the door, seeing this scene, probably understood what had happened. He opened his arms, and bolts of lightning descended from the sky. In the blink of an eye, only dozens of charred corpses remained on the ground.

Looking at Lance, who was still putting on a robe with an impatient look on his face, Wadsworth almost burst out laughing in anger.

Well, well, the student surpasses the master?

He would at most disguise himself and hook up with noble ladies outside. His son, on the other hand, was playing things dozens of times more extravagantly?

“Lance, look at yourself now, do you still have any of the demeanor of a Grand Prince? You’re going to inherit the throne in the future,” Wadsworth didn’t even have the energy to be angry anymore. He didn’t understand why his son, whom he had carefully cultivated since childhood, had become like this.

He wasn’t like this before.

Lance yawned lazily. Although he was only wearing a robe, his appearance disheveled, he still exuded nobility and elegance.

“Father, you didn’t come here just to interrupt my fun, did you?”

“Why are you so angry? Is it because I didn’t invite you? Alright, I’ll remember to invite you next time.”

Wadsworth’s body trembled. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the flames of anger that were about to explode in his heart, “Why did you try to murder the Hero in Conrad?”

“Murder the Hero in Conrad?” Lance was stunned, and he subconsciously shook his head, “Don’t talk nonsense, I didn’t, it wasn’t me.”

However, Lance’s denial completely enraged Wadsworth. He suddenly raised his right hand and slapped Lance across the face with a whoosh.

“You spineless bastard, you dare to do it but don’t dare to admit it?” Wadsworth roared.

His strength was astonishing. With one slap, Lance was sent flying, half of his face practically destroyed, even the bone could be seen in some places.

But at this moment, Lance couldn’t feel the pain on his face at all. He had arranged for a few assassins to murder the Hero last night, but he knew very well that those assassins were basically going to their deaths. He was just testing the Hero’s true strength. He wanted to personally break the Hero’s neck.

He didn’t try to murder the Hero in Conrad, he didn’t even know the Hero was there.

He didn’t know where his father heard this news from, but his father’s complete distrust made Lance’s nose ache. A strong sense of grievance surged in his heart, and two muddy tears flowed from his angry eyes!

Chapter 137: “What” is Loseweisse?

The starry sky outside the window was as calm as ever.

Two moons hung in the night sky, everything seemed the same as usual, but Qin Chu had a feeling that a power from the Void was seeping into this world.

Who was praying to the Void?

…

The next day.

The news about Karsus had been completely exposed. With the Holy See’s deliberate promotion, everyone in the Imperial City was talking about it. A member of the former Hero Squad had been tainted by the filthy power of darkness, losing control and slaughtering 3200 Holy Knights guarding the border against the Demon Beasts.

This incident caused a huge uproar.

The members of the Hero Squad had always followed the Hero, making great contributions in the war against the Demon Beasts. Under normal circumstances, it was hard to imagine such a thing happening to such outstanding individuals.

But since it happened to Karsus, the Death Knight, it seemed to make sense.

After all, everyone knew that this Death Knight had been tainted by the power of darkness, and because of the influence of this dark power, he had even killed his own parents and siblings… He could even kill his own flesh and blood, so it wasn’t strange at all for him to kill some unrelated Holy Knights.

It seemed that the First Hero’s judgment of character wasn’t that good…

Now, the Holy See and the Empire had formed a joint investigation team, investigating whether Karsus had committed any other crimes. It was said that they had already found some, such as Karsus stealing women’s stockings.

After the investigation was over, everyone would be invited to witness the public trial.

Compared to Karsus slaughtering the Holy Knights, people seemed to be more interested in his public trial.

After all, Karsus had a high status; he was also a Titled Knight with formidable strength. It wasn’t easy to see someone like him on the execution platform.

It would definitely be exciting.

Angelica walked down the street with Karen. The voices around them made Angelica frown and shake her head slightly.

She didn’t pity Karsus. After all, this Death Knight had attacked her master twice. In Angelica’s eyes, he deserved to die.

But the reactions of the people around her still made her sigh. No matter what, Karsus had made great contributions in the war against the Demon Beasts. He was extremely ferocious in battle. It was said that he had a special ability that allowed him to absorb the energy released by dying Demon Beasts, constantly replenishing his own consumption and maintaining prolonged combat.

The number of Demon Beasts Karsus had killed might not be as high as Athena, the Grand Mage, but it definitely far exceeded that of other members.

How many? Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands?

Who knew?

But now, no one remembered the contributions Karsus had made. They were only excited to witness the public execution of a powerful and high-status individual.

Miss Violet had said that this world was rotten.

At that time, Angelica felt that she was being too harsh, but now it seemed that this world was truly rotten to the core.

But this had nothing to do with her. The current Angelica was just a little maid affectionately called Ange by her master. She only needed to serve her master well. Everything else had nothing to do with her, and she didn’t care at all.

There was a time when Angelica hoped to regain her identity as a Saintess.

But now, the title of Saintess no longer held any appeal for her.

If she became a Saintess, she would have to stay in the temple all day long, unable to stay by her master’s side, unable to help him bathe and make his bed.

She would have to pay attention to the etiquette of a Saintess at all times, unable to curl up in her master’s arms like a kitten during her free time. For Angelica, that was completely unacceptable.

Although she felt a little lonely when her master was away, this feeling of waiting for his return wasn’t necessarily unhappy.

“Sister Ange, what are you smiling about?” Karen noticed Angelica’s smile and asked.

Karen hadn’t slept well last night, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

Although Ange had prepared a spacious room for her with a soft mattress and quilt, it was all too luxurious for Karen.

She lay stiffly on the bed, not daring to move, afraid of accidentally tearing the soft and comfortable fabric. She didn’t even dare to close her eyes, afraid that once she fell asleep and woke up, she would be back on the cold stone slabs on the street.

But Karen wasn’t tired at all. She seemed very energetic, and everything she saw was a beauty she had never seen before.

She was wearing a small dress that Sister Angelica had just bought for her, and a pair of very comfortable boots. This set of clothes alone cost hundreds of Mana, a huge sum that Karen couldn’t comprehend.

In the morning, she even tasted milk and bread.

Hearing Karen’s timid voice, Angelica smiled gently and stroked her head, “It’s nothing. Come on, let’s go get your hair done.”

As she spoke, Angelica took Karen’s small hand and walked forward. But before they could take two steps, Angelica frowned.

She saw two figures in front of them… They were nuns from the Holy See, Mandy and Philippa, both subordinates of Loseweisse.

When Angelica was still a maid by Loseweisse’s side, she was often bullied and tortured by these two nuns. Angelica still remembered the worst time, when Mandy and Philippa tied her to a tree with ropes, cut open her abdomen with a knife, and laughed as they watched the blood stain her clothes.

Even now, there was still a long, ugly scar on Angelica’s abdomen. Every time she saw it, Angelica felt a pang of regret. She couldn’t give her most beautiful body to her master, which was her biggest regret.

Seeing these two again, Angelica felt a faint pain in her abdomen.

Of course, Angelica, who had already had her seal undone, was no longer afraid of these two. But she didn’t have any thoughts of revenge either. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but that she didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble for her master because of her own reasons.

But unfortunately, those two didn’t intend to let Angelica off so easily.

After all, Angelica was once a Saintess candidate! Such a noble status. For them, two lowly nuns, being able to torture a Saintess candidate at will brought an irreplaceable sense of satisfaction.

Angelica took a deep breath and pulled Karen’s small hand, preparing to avoid them.

But the two figures stood directly in front of Angelica and Karen, smiles on their faces, but those smiles made Karen’s hair stand on end.

Angelica’s expression gradually darkened, but she still held back her anger, “Mandy, Philippa, could you please move aside?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… It’s only been a few days, and your temper has grown quite a bit,” Mandy mocked with a smile, “Angelica, have you forgotten what it felt like to kneel before us and beg for mercy? Don’t forget, it was me who stitched up the wound on your stomach. If it weren’t for me, you would have been dead.”

“Mandy, don’t say that. She’s now with the Hero, her status is naturally different,” Philippa’s face also held a malicious smile. These two were actually quite beautiful nuns, but their expressions were twisted and ugly at this moment, “After all, Angelica’s face and figure are still passable. How does it feel to use your body to seduce the Hero?”

Mandy and Philippa’s words seemed to trigger Angelica’s memories. One of her hands subconsciously clenched into a fist, her body trembling with anger.

Yes, it was Mandy who stitched up the wound on her stomach.

But it was also this woman who cut her stomach open.

Angelica would never forget how these two women looked so gleeful as they watched her struggle in pain, covered in blood.

Angelica would never forget the excruciating pain when Mandy used a needle meant for sewing quilts to pierce her skin and stitch up her wound with a rough thread.

The thread rubbing against her skin, every second was hellish torture for Angelica.

Karen sensed Angelica’s abnormality and looked at the gentle older sister with concern. She saw that Angelica’s hair had started to flutter behind her, and a deep anger was seeping into her soft, golden eyes.

“Using your body to seduce a man, you shameless thing, you’ve disgraced all women…”

Mandy and Philippa didn’t notice Angelica’s growing anger. Of course, even if they did, they probably wouldn’t care. They just kept provoking Angelica with words, forcing her to recall more and more terrible memories.

They put sharp nails in her shoes.

They put tiny steel needles in her food.

They hid razor blades in her clothes.

They held her head underwater to test how long a person could hold their breath…

Memories flashed through Angelica’s mind. Her fingers were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white, her neatly trimmed nails almost digging into her palms.

At this moment, Mandy and Philippa turned their attention to Karen, “Eh, isn’t this the little kitten the Hero picked up from outside?”

“Tsk, tsk, what a dirty little kitten.”

“Seriously, the Hero is such a pervert, even this kind of girl…”

Slap…

Before she could finish her sentence, Mandy received a hard slap on the face. Half of her face instantly turned red, and five bright red finger marks appeared.

It was such a forceful slap that Mandy’s delicate face cracked, and beads of blood seeped out.

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

Mandy and Philippa’s eyes widened, staring at Angelica in disbelief. They couldn’t believe that this woman, who had always been bullied by them, dared to fight back.

They had bullied Angelica for many years, and she had never fought back. They had long been used to it.

The sudden slap was completely beyond their expectations.

After a few seconds, Mandy seemed to finally come to her senses. She covered her face with one hand and screamed, “Angelica, you… you dare to hit me?”

“That’s right, I hit you!”

Angelica’s emerald hair fluttered behind her. She was truly angry. Angelica could ignore how these two insulted her, she could endure it for the sake of not causing trouble for her master, but she absolutely couldn’t tolerate these two insulting her master.

Angelica’s aura continued to rise, and surging Mana churned around her body like waves.

The overwhelming pressure made Mandy and Philippa’s hearts skip a beat. It felt as if a heavy boulder was pressing down on their chests, making it difficult to breathe.

They were surprised to find that Angelica’s strength had recovered at some point, and the necklace that sealed her Mana was gone.

When Augustus dismissed everyone and unsealed Angelica’s necklace to prevent the matter from escalating, few people saw it, and those who did mostly kept their mouths shut.

Mandy and Philippa were afraid. Angelica was once a Saintess candidate who could rival Loseweisse. Both her talent and strength were no less than Loseweisse’s back then.

Even though she had been sealed for several years, Angelica’s strength was still not something they could contend with.

The powerful pressure made the two nuns tremble uncontrollably. Their legs could barely support their bodies, and they might kneel on the ground at any moment. But they didn’t want to lose face in front of Angelica, the woman they had once humiliated.

Suppressing the fear in their hearts, Mandy screamed, “Angelica, what do you want to do? We… We are Saintess Loseweisse’s people! If you dare to hurt us, Saintess Loseweisse will not let you go…”

Angelica smiled, but her eyes were cold.

That smile made Mandy and Philippa’s hearts turn cold.

Her indifferent gaze swept over the two of them, and she said in a flat voice:

“What is Loseweisse?”

“Even if Loseweisse was here, she couldn’t save you for insulting my master!”

She was a Saintess candidate!

She just didn’t want to bother with these two idiots, but they mistook it for weakness.

They didn’t know that her gentleness only appeared in front of her master.

Since these two were so eager for it, then let them experience what it felt like when she became strong.

Whoosh…

Another slap.

Philippa screamed in pain, her ears buzzing, her mind dizzy.

Angelica wasn’t as cruel as these two nuns. She just kept slapping them one after another. Under the absolute suppression of her Mana, the two nuns couldn’t move at all, only enduring the resounding slaps again and again.

At some point, the two of them were already kneeling on the ground, their cheeks swollen and bloody.

At some point, their ears had completely lost their hearing… The corners of their eyes were cracked.

At some point, a slap even knocked out a white tooth…

She wanted them to understand the consequences of insulting her master.

…

On the other side, Qin Chu had arrived at the Conrad Demon Beast Nest.

It was a complex network of underground tunnels, intertwining and forming a large web. It was easy to get lost inside.

Although Qin Chu had Ekaterina and Violet by his side, Saint Monique, Augustus, and Wadsworth were still worried and arranged for a large number of experts to follow him.

Jason, a Vice-Captain of the Holy Knights, his name was similar to Jie Luo’s… He wasn’t Candice’s father, but another one. The Holy Knights had a total of seven Vice-Captains, plus nearly a hundred elite Holy Knights.

Saint Monique arranged for an Archbishop, Christia, and three Bishops. Although the number was small, their combat power was definitely formidable.

Wadsworth directly sent Morton, the Captain of the Royal Knights, over.

The strength of these people was undoubtedly formidable. The Vice-Captain’s combat power was no less than Ekaterina’s, and the Captain of the Royal Knights was even stronger.

As for the Archbishop from the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, her strength wasn’t much weaker than Natia’s.

With so many experts protecting him, he felt very safe.

But this kind of safety wasn’t necessarily a good thing for Qin Chu. The Devourer’s ability was too evil and couldn’t be revealed in front of these people. Qin Chu had to find a way to separate from them.

“Hero, this is the Conrad Demon Beast Nest,” Morton, the Captain of the Royal Knights, said to Qin Chu respectfully, without the arrogance of a super expert, “His Majesty ordered me to protect your safety no matter what. Please follow behind us.”

“The underground tunnels are complex. If you’re not careful, you’ll get lost and trapped inside.”

“We will eliminate a large number of Demon Beasts and leave one or two for you to practice with,” Morton explained his plan.

Qin Chu was speechless. What did this guy take him for?

“Although I think I can fight some Demon Beasts… I promised His Majesty, the Pope, and the Holy Maiden that I would follow your arrangements,” Qin Chu spread his hands and replied sincerely.

The big shots were relieved that the Hero was so cooperative. They were really worried that the Hero would be arrogant and rush in recklessly. Although there were basically only low-level Demon Beasts in Conrad, no one could guarantee that there weren’t any terrifying existences deeper inside.

Morton and Christia led their people at the front, Jason led a group of elite Holy Knights at the rear, and Qin Chu stayed in the middle with Ekaterina and Violet.

“Violet, it’s time…”

Violet nodded silently. The Seed of Storms gathered an astonishing amount of Mana, focusing it on her feet. She raised her right foot slightly, and just as she was about to stomp on the ground…

Rumble…

The entire Demon Beast nest… exploded!

Chapter 136: Void Evil God’s Erosion

Lindberg’s heart skipped a beat. He naturally understood the Grand Prince’s meaning. That woman absolutely couldn’t appear in the Imperial City.

This meant an assassination on the road.

His Highness the Grand Prince had become more noble, but also colder, more ruthless, and more ferocious.

Lindberg sighed helplessly. The Grand Prince had a terrible relationship with his mother since childhood. No one knew the reason, but he just hated his mother.

And by extension, he also hated this princess.

Anastasia, like the Grand Prince’s mother, was from the royal family of the Ice Duchy.

The Ice Duchy was located in the northernmost part of the Auville Empire, a land of ice and snow. The Duke of the Ice Duchy was Grand Duke Maysfield.

Grand Dukes could establish their own countries, known as duchies. Of course, the countries established by Grand Dukes had to be vassal states of the Auville Empire, paying a large amount of tribute every year.

This tribute was a considerable burden for the Ice Duchy. After all, the Ice Duchy was covered in ice and snow almost all year round, their food was entirely imported from the Auville Empire, and they didn’t have any particularly valuable specialties, resulting in their finances always being tight.

But there was one good thing: the Maysfield family produced excellent women.

This was also a tradition of the Auville Empire’s royal family. Every emperor was destined to have many wives, but his first wife had to be a woman from the Maysfield family, and his first son had to be born from this woman.

It was the same for Lance. As the almost certain next emperor of the Auville Empire, Lance had to marry a woman from the Maysfield family, which was Princess Anastasia.

Although he had only seen this princess through magic projections, Lindberg was certain that she was an excellent woman. She possessed the pride and nobility of the Maysfield family. She was graceful, elegant, and poised, with a beautiful face like a snow lotus blooming on a towering ice mountain, and skin as fair and delicate as snow. He believed that no matter how picky a man was, he couldn’t find a single flaw in Princess Anastasia.

But unfortunately, no matter how outstanding this princess was, to Lance, she was an obstacle.

Although in Lindberg’s eyes, Anastasia was more beautiful than Loseweisse, both in terms of figure and appearance, Lance was infatuated with Saintess Loseweisse as if he were possessed. As long as he could win the Saintess’s favor, he could even abandon everything he currently had.

In the past, when Lance mentioned Anastasia, he would even express pity. After all, they had never even met, let alone had any feelings for each other. They were only getting married for the sake of benefits.

But now he wanted to get rid of her directly. When did the Grand Prince’s heart become so cold?

However, Lindberg could understand Lance’s decision. After all, once Anastasia entered the Imperial City, His Majesty Wadsworth would definitely arrange for their marriage immediately. This was definitely a very bad thing for Lance, who was deeply infatuated with Loseweisse and wanted to marry her.

Because when Lance pursued Loseweisse, the Saintess clearly stated that she didn’t like her partner having many women around him.

This was truly a terrible situation.

As long as His Highness Lance gave up on Loseweisse and married Anastasia, everything would be resolved.

Lindberg muttered in his heart, but he couldn’t disobey the Grand Prince’s orders. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed the strange thoughts that surfaced in his mind, “Your Highness, I’ve already made arrangements.”

“According to Anastasia’s route, they will pass through Conrad. Of course, they won’t directly pass through the Demon Beast nest, but will pass by the edge of the area. The route is shorter, and the Conrad Demon Beast nest isn’t very dangerous. There are also troops stationed nearby, so at least on the surface, it seems very safe.”

“I’ve already arranged for people to plant a large number of Mana bombs in the Conrad Demon Beast nest. We will detonate them before they approach the area, creating the illusion of a Demon Beast outbreak.”

Mana bombs, simply put, were storage devices that were specially treated and filled with Mana. When needed, the device would be destroyed, and the large amount of Mana stored inside would instantly erupt, causing a powerful explosion. Their destructive power was terrifying, and enough Mana bombs could destroy the Conrad Demon Beast nest.

The layers of restrictions set up by the army’s high-level mages in the Demon Beast nest would be destroyed, and the Demon Beasts would swarm out.

“At that time, Princess Anastasia’s death can be easily disguised as being killed by Demon Beasts,” Lindberg said calmly.

Although Princess Anastasia’s death would be a great pity for Lindberg, she was truly an outstanding woman. If he could marry such a beautiful and elegant lady, he would be overjoyed.

Of course, he couldn’t let the Grand Prince know about this thought.

Lindberg understood His Highness Lance very well. Although the prince was noble and elegant, he had a very strong possessive streak. He didn’t like Anastasia, but any man who dared to approach her would definitely be punished by Lance.

Because, in Lance’s eyes, Anastasia was his fiancée, which meant she was his possession. He wouldn’t allow anyone else to touch his possessions.

Even if Lance later abandoned Anastasia and sent her back to the Ice Duchy to win the Saintess’s favor, Anastasia was destined to be alone for the rest of her life. Any man who married her would be assassinated by Lance.

He could abandon her, but no one else could touch her.

A gentle and elegant smile appeared on Lance’s face. He was very satisfied with Lindberg’s arrangements. As expected of his most capable subordinate, he had never disappointed him.

Lindberg’s brows were still furrowed, and he felt very uneasy.

“Your Highness, is this really appropriate? Will this provoke Grand Duke Maysfield…”

“No, no, Lord Lindberg, there’s no need to worry about that seemingly powerful Grand Duke,” Lance shook his head with a smile, “Grand Duke Maysfield will definitely not rebel because of his daughter’s death, because they don’t have the capital. Do you understand? The Ice Duchy relies entirely on the Auville Empire for food imports. As long as we cut off their food supply, everyone in the Ice Duchy will starve to death within a month. A duchy that can be easily controlled by the Empire doesn’t have the qualifications to stand against us.”

Lindberg also understood that His Highness Lance’s words made sense. The Duchy indeed didn’t have the capital to fight against the Auville Empire. The difference in their strength was like the difference between an egg and a stone, it was laughable.

But Lindberg didn’t know why, he had a very bad feeling deep down, a strange feeling that made him very uneasy.

“Alright, my dear Lord Lindberg, don’t think too much… Look at you, there are even wrinkles on your forehead…” As he spoke, the Grand Prince Lance gently brushed Lindberg’s forehead with his fingertips.

“If this continues, I’ll be heartbroken…”

Hiss…

Lindberg’s body trembled as if he had been electrocuted. Goosebumps erupted all over his body, and he jumped back a meter like a spring, his scalp tingling. Although he had always had a good relationship with the Grand Prince, this action was too intimate no matter how he looked at it. He looked at Lance with a strange gaze, completely surprised by his sudden action.

Lance seemed startled by his intense reaction. His fingers hovered in mid-air for a few seconds before he lowered them, regaining his usual nobility and elegance.

He seemed to be completely unchanged, but as Lindberg continued to look at him, he felt something was wrong. There seemed to be a strange charm about His Highness the Grand Prince. The longer he looked, the hotter his face felt, and his heart beat faster for some reason.

He swallowed involuntarily.

At this moment, Lance seemed to sense something. His pupils constricted abruptly, and a few seconds later, he lowered his eyelids, “Lord Lindberg, I’m a little tired and want to rest.”

Lindberg finally came to his senses and quickly excused himself.

After leaving the Grand Prince’s residence, the cold night wind blew on Lindberg’s face, and he shivered. Recalling the strange thoughts that had just appeared in his mind, he felt a chill run down his spine. He was a normal man who only liked beautiful women, not a pervert.

He quickened his pace, preparing to go to the Fairy House to confirm that he was still a normal man.

…

After Lindberg left, Lance suddenly raised his head in the residence. His handsome face had become distorted at some point, and he opened his mouth wide, letting out a silent wail.

It was as if electric currents were constantly stimulating his body.

His body trembled violently, and like a madman, he tore at his own body with his hands. His gorgeous clothes were torn into shreds, and sharp, knife-like nails began to appear on his fingertips.

His skin was torn bloody by his own nails.

From the torn wounds, small, rice-sized black scales were rapidly growing. In the blink of an eye, Lance’s entire body was covered in dense black scales, a sight that would make anyone’s scalp tingle.

Lance’s consciousness had connected to the mysterious Void.

Noisy, maddening whispers echoed in his ears, his limbs began to twist unnaturally into positions that a human body couldn’t possibly achieve, and strange gurgling sounds came from his throat.

Tiny scales covered his entire body, even his face, ears, nose, and eyes.

Then, the scales began to fall off his body, covering the ground in a thick layer in a short time.

Beneath the scales was new, delicate skin.

The curves of Lance’s face and body sometimes became firm and masculine, like the most noble and valiant man.

Sometimes they became gentle and feminine, like the most elegant and sexy woman in the world.

…

Meanwhile, in the residence, Qin Chu, who had just finished his time with Angelica, suddenly sat up in bed.

The Goddess’s Hair on his wrist was emitting a burning heat!

A mysterious force seemed to be guiding Qin Chu, his gaze drawn to the starry sky outside the window.

He sensed it. The Evil God in the Void was eroding this world.

Chapter 135: The Grand Prince’s Fiancée

After easily defeating Horn, Qin Chu had proven his strength. Wadsworth no longer arranged for guards to follow him around the Imperial City, but there were still many guards at the residence.

When they saw the Hero appear, they all stood up straight, but their curious gazes couldn’t help but fall on Karen. These two Heroes were both strange.

The First Hero would occasionally pick up some random people, and the Second Hero was the same, even stranger than the First. He had just brought back a giantess, and now he brought back another girl.

But this girl was filthy all over. Could she be a beggar from somewhere?

The guards’ scrutinizing and suspicious gazes frightened Karen. She had experienced such looks many times, filled with disdain, disgust, and rejection. She subconsciously wanted to get closer to Qin Chu, but she felt that she was too dirty and worried about soiling the Hero’s clothes. Her small body curled up into a ball.

Qin Chu glanced at Karen, then turned his gaze to the guards at the door, “Remember, from today onwards, Karen will be living here. I will be going out sometimes, and you must protect her. If anything happens to Karen, I will inform Wadsworth of your negligence.”

The guards originally looked down on Karen, but upon hearing these words, they immediately put away their contempt. If the Hero complained to His Majesty about their negligence, they wouldn’t be able to keep their heads.

“Alright, Karen, don’t be afraid.”

Qin Chu patted Karen’s small head, comforting her.

Karen peeked out from beside Qin Chu, nodding in a daze.

The luxurious residence before her shocked Karen greatly. In her memory, a so-called house was just a small, low, dark, and damp room with a bunk bed, where the whole family huddled together.

The houses were made of wood or adobe, and they would leak on rainy days. Cockroaches, other small insects, and rats were common sights in their home.

A sour, musty smell permeated the air.

But here, it was completely different.

The entire residence was exceptionally clean and tidy. The smooth stone slabs were polished to a shine, even reflecting her own figure. The spacious courtyard was decorated with rockeries, flowing water, and a garden.

The air wasn’t filled with a sour, decaying smell, but with the pleasant fragrance of flowers.

The tall attic was a magnificence that Karen couldn’t describe. In her small mind, there was only one impression: this place should be big enough for several thousand people to live in, right?

Karen had only one feeling: could she really live in this place? The magnificence here and her own ragged and dirty appearance were a stark contrast. She didn’t even dare to take a step, afraid of soiling the smooth stone slabs with her feet.

Karen knew that nobles and she were from two completely different worlds, but this was the first time she realized how exaggerated the gap could be.

In the courtyard, there was also a very beautiful older sister wearing a light, black and white dress, a very tall and equally beautiful older sister, and an older sister in red armor who looked a little scary…

Hearing the commotion at the door, the three of them walked over.

Angelica was at the front, practically jogging, but still maintaining the etiquette of a maid.

She was the only maid in this residence, and almost all matters, big or small, were handled by her personally.

“Master, you’re back,” Angelica bowed slightly and smiled sweetly, her gaze falling on Karen, “Who is this little sister?”

Karen was scared, but she was also sensitive. She could sense that there was no disgust or disdain in this beautiful older sister’s eyes, unlike the others.

This made Karen subconsciously develop a favorable impression of Angelica.

“Karen! She will also be living here from today onwards.”

“Angelica, take Karen to take a bath, and then prepare some food for her,” Qin Chu said, “Don’t prepare too much, just enough for her to be 80% full. Otherwise, her body won’t be able to handle it.”

Karen had been starving for too long.

If he gave her enough food, she would continue to eat desperately due to her ingrained hunger, until her stomach burst.

Angelica nodded obediently, not minding Karen’s dirtiness, and walked over to take her small hand, “Let’s go, Sister Karen, I’ll take you there.”

Although Karen liked Angelica, being separated from Qin Chu still made her a little scared. She looked at him pitifully, as if begging him to go with her.

Qin Chu could only touch his nose and apologize for this request. There were some things he really couldn’t do.

“Be good, go. Angelica is a good older sister, she won’t bully you,” Qin Chu patted Karen’s small head, comforting her.

Karen bit her lip and followed Angelica.

“Ekaterina, Violet…” Qin Chu looked at the other two, “I’m planning to leave the city tomorrow…”

“Leaving the city again right after returning? Will those old geezers agree?” Violet raised an eyebrow, showing no respect for Wadsworth, Augustus, and the others in her words.

Even Ekaterina looked at Violet in surprise. Her own temper was already bad enough, but this lady was even more exaggerated. Even she, the Crimson Valkyrie, had never directly addressed those people as “old geezers.”

“It’s okay, at worst, they’ll just arrange for experts to follow me. Besides, I’m not going far, just a few dozen kilometers, to find some real Demon Beasts to practice with.”

The easiest way to quickly increase his strength was still to absorb the power of Demon Beasts through the Devourer.

Qin Chu slightly regretted dealing with those thirteen assassins so easily just now. If he had used the Devourer, he should have been able to absorb a good amount of power, right? Of course, this regret only lasted for a brief moment. Qin Chu quickly stopped caring.

At least, he was in a good mood.

Money couldn’t buy happiness.

“If it’s just that, and with experts accompanying you, I think Wadsworth should agree,” Ekaterina said after thinking for a moment. After all, Qin Chu now had a certain level of combat power, and the restrictions on him weren’t as strict as before.

Qin Chu rested his chin on his hand, pondering, “Let me think. If the information I have is correct, there’s a Demon Beast nest called Conrad about 80 kilometers north of the Imperial City. It’s said that the depths of the cave are directly connected to the abyss. Although the Empire has sent troops to clear it many times, Demon Beasts still keep appearing.”

There were many Demon Beast nests in the Heavenly Continent.

These Demon Beast nests seemed to be directly connected to the abyss, with Demon Beasts constantly emerging from them. Each Demon Beast nest was a place that humans had to pay close attention to. Conrad was the closest one to the Imperial City. It was said to have been discovered by a knight named Conrad, and it was full of Demon Beasts that looked like furry worms.

“A Grand Mage from the army once used powerful magic to flatten the Demon Beast nest, but it was quickly dug through by the Demon Beasts again. I think that place is very suitable, perfect for honing my combat skills.”

Actually, it was a place with an endless supply of experience packs for him to devour.

“I’d better contact Wadsworth, Augustus, Saint Monique, and the others first… Otherwise, if I sneak out on my own, those old geezers will definitely nag me again.”

As he spoke, Qin Chu silently chanted Wadsworth’s name in his heart, picturing his appearance. To be honest, imagining this guy’s appearance wasn’t a pleasant thing.

But there was no helping it. It was like dialing a phone number on Earth. Chanting the other person’s name and imagining their appearance was a necessary step for Information Magic.

Although Wadsworth was a warrior, he was also a very low-level mage, only able to use low-level magic like small fireballs and Information Magic. This was something everyone in the Auville Empire knew.

Soon, Wadsworth’s voice came from Qin Chu’s ear. Qin Chu briefly explained his plan to him.

But before he could finish, he was rudely interrupted by Wadsworth, “Brother Qin, I say, you’re not really being provoked by my useless son, are you? Don’t take his words seriously, just treat them as farts…”

Well, Wadsworth’s way of speaking was really crude. Just from his speech, it was hard to imagine that this guy was the Emperor.

But it had to be said that this crude way of speaking, in a way, easily won people’s favor.

Qin Chu felt a headache and had to rub his forehead, explaining patiently. After a long time of persuasion, Wadsworth finally reluctantly agreed.

It was the same with Saint Monique and Augustus.

As for the fact that he could use Information Magic, Qin Chu didn’t care. After all, he had already met Athena, and he had Angelica by his side. Learning to use Information Magic wasn’t unimaginable.

Qin Chu wasted a lot of time persuading these three old geezers. When he finally finished, Karen, led by Angelica, also came out. She was wearing one of Angelica’s shirts, which was obviously too big for her. The hem of the shirt almost reached her knees, ill-fitting.

But Karen was very happy with the clothes on her body. The delicate fabric was something she had never worn before, and it felt very comfortable against her skin.

It must have been a very difficult task to clean Karen. Angelica’s face showed visible fatigue.

After being cleaned, Karen looked even smaller, her eyes deeply sunken, her malnourished body unable to fill out the clothes. Her light brown hair, even after being washed, looked like a bird’s nest, its quality clearly very poor.

She was also wearing comfortable shoes for the first time, although the shoes were also too big.

“I’ll go prepare some easily digestible food for her,” Angelica smiled gently and went to prepare Karen’s food.

During this time, Karen subconsciously huddled next to Qin Chu like a kitten, her small hand holding his, unwilling to let go.

The food Angelica prepared for Karen was porridge. Although there were more delicious foods in the residence, it was clearly not suitable for Karen right now. She needed something easily digestible.

Even though it was just plain porridge, Karen’s eyes still sparkled, and she devoured it without caring that it was hot.

It had been a long, long time since she had eaten a proper meal.

“Angelica, take Karen to get a haircut tomorrow, and buy her a few sets of fitting clothes,” Qin Chu glanced at Karen and instructed.

Angelica nodded.

“Also, I’m going out tomorrow and will be back in the evening.”

A look of reluctance appeared in the maid’s eyes.

But she obediently understood that her master had important things to do, and she wouldn’t be a burden to him. However, not being able to stay with her master still made Angelica feel a little lonely.

“So, can you come to my room tonight?”

Angelica’s eyes lit up.

And beside them, a flash of jealousy appeared in Ekaterina’s eyes.

…

Meanwhile, in the Grand Prince’s residence, a figure was pacing back and forth, anxiety clearly visible on his face.

“Why haven’t they returned yet? They should be back by now,” the man muttered continuously.

He had arranged for thirteen assassins to assassinate the Hero, and there was still no news. This made him feel irritated.

After all, that was the Hero. If the assassination attempt was exposed, he would definitely be sent to the guillotine.

None of those thirteen assassins could be left alive. After they returned, they all had to be executed.

As for the Grand Prince, whom Wadsworth had referred to as someone whose words could be treated as farts, he didn’t seem anxious at all. He sat quietly on the soft sofa, holding a newspaper in his hand. The news about Count Rupert’s wife having a tryst with her lover and being caught red-handed by the Count seemed to amuse Lance, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Seeing the figure pacing back and forth in front of him, Lance seemed a little impatient. He put down the newspaper. After the previous humiliation, everyone thought that Lance would definitely explode…

But in reality, Lance was much calmer than they had imagined.

Although he did smash some things, he quickly controlled his emotions. His behavior was even more composed and noble than before.

His aura became more elegant and charming.

“My dear Lord Lindberg, could you please sit down and rest for a while? Watching you pace back and forth in front of me makes my legs feel tired,” Lance said, spreading his hands helplessly.

The man named Lindberg looked at the relaxed Lance and felt a little speechless, “Your Highness, those people haven’t returned yet, what if…”

“What if they were killed by the Hero? What if the Hero knows that I’m the mastermind behind this?”

“Please, we’re all adults, let’s be mature,” Lance gently rubbed his forehead.

“Even if the Hero knows, so what?”

“The current Hero doesn’t have the ability to fall out with my father yet, so why should we care?”

After a pause, Lance continued, “I wasn’t really in favor of the assassination plan. It’s better for him to be alive, so I can personally break his neck…”

Only when he spoke of the Hero would Lance’s eyes be filled with uncontainable malice.

“For me now, the most troublesome thing isn’t that Hero Qin Chu, but my fiancée. Do you understand?”

Lance’s gaze was fixed on the wall beside him, where a portrait hung.

The portrait depicted a graceful and elegant lady, her icy blue hair cascading down her back, her eyes, as cold as ice, revealing tranquility and gentleness.

However, a dart was stuck in the portrait.

Lindberg frowned slightly, “The princess of the Ice Duchy, Anastasia!”

“That’s right, it’s that woman. She’s coming to the Imperial City. If nothing unexpected happens, she will pass through Conrad tomorrow morning and arrive at the Imperial City in the afternoon.”

“I hate this woman, just like I hate my mother!”

“My dear Lord Lindberg, do you understand what I mean?”