Category: The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 436: “Don’t You Think You’re Being a Little Too Cocky?”

This incident had indeed become a big deal.

At least, within the entire royal capital, in less than an hour, not only the nobles, but even the commoners knew about it.

“I heard that the young master of the Lucica family offended Viscount Buztout.”

“The young master of the Lucica family offended a woman associated with Viscount Buztout.”

“Duke Lucica is now on his way to the Buztout mansion with his guards and knights.”

“A viscount actually confronted a Duke. How impressive.”

“Only Viscount Buztout would dare to do such a thing.”

Even though it was the middle of the night, the streets and alleys of the capital were filled with such discussions, showing how big this incident had become.

This was also because Shien was involved.

Since Shien was famous, many people were paying attention to him. Once he did something, it would naturally spread quickly and become known to everyone.

Therefore, not only the nobles, but even some bold commoners went to the noble district, to the Buztout mansion, intending to watch the events unfold.

However, when they arrived at the Buztout mansion, they were surprised to find that this incident was even bigger than they had imagined.

Because the entire area in front of the Buztout mansion’s gate was surrounded by a dense crowd of knights.

And at the forefront was a luxuriously dressed, elderly noble, seemingly around fifty years old.

This person was Edel’s father, the Duke of the Kingdom of Mitra—Jeroman Lucica.

At this moment, Jeroman’s face was extremely grim, with the timid Eichi and Reid standing beside him. It was clear that he was on the verge of exploding.

In fact, Jeroman was in a very bad mood.

Not only because of the trouble his son had caused, but also because this matter had become public knowledge, making him feel utterly humiliated.

Therefore, almost without thinking, Jeroman directly brought all his guards and knights, surrounding the entire Buztout mansion.

“Shien Buztout!”

Jeroman shouted angrily.

“Return my son to me!”

At Jeroman’s roar, the knights behind him all stepped forward in unison.

“Boom!”

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed, instantly filling the area with a murderous aura.

This surprised the nobles and commoners watching this scene.

“Is Duke Lucica really planning to fight Viscount Buztout?”

“He actually dares to do so.”

“Although the other party is just a Viscount, he’s also the top candidate for Princess Lucy’s husband.”

“He actually disrespects even the royal family?”

“It seems he’s lost his mind for the sake of his only son.”

Everyone was discussing this.

Until…

“How disturbing. Causing such a commotion in the middle of the night. As expected of a Duke, truly knows how to abuse his power.”

With these words, the gate of the Buztout mansion opened.

Inside, there were no guards or knights, only Shien, along with the members of Vivian’s squad, slowly walking out, appearing before everyone.

Naturally, Edel was also brought out.

However, he was being dragged out by Shien, who was holding his collar.

Everyone gasped upon seeing this scene.

Not only because Edel was being dragged out, but also because this Duke’s son was not only covered in wounds, but also bruised and swollen, barely alive, a trail of blood even dragging behind him, looking extremely miserable.

This was beyond just being disheveled.

“Edel!” Jeroman was shocked and enraged, his face turning livid as he looked at Shien as if he were his mortal enemy. He growled, “Bastard! How dare you…!?”

Looking at the furious Jeroman, Shien smiled brightly, as if he hadn’t done any of this.

“Of course, I dare.” Shien said with a smirk. “Just a piece of trash who bullies others, what’s there to be afraid of?”

“You…!” Jeroman pointed at Shien, panting and growling, his eyes bloodshot, “Return him to me!”

However, instead of complying with Jeroman’s angry shouts, Shien curled his lip, dragged Edel over, and threw him before him.

“Bang!”

The next moment, Shien raised his foot without hesitation and stomped heavily on Edel.

“Aaaaaah…!”

Edel screamed in agony, his cries heart-wrenching.

“Stop!”

Jeroman finally exploded. He raised his staff, chanted a spell, and unleashed a towering inferno towards Shien.

“[Bestow: Dispel].”

Shien didn’t even move, just chanted a single word, his magic power erupting. The flames, heading towards him amidst everyone’s exclamations, were instantly dispersed, vanishing without a trace.

“Bang!”

Without any further nonsense, or even retaliating, after dispelling the flames, Shien raised his foot again and kicked Edel mercilessly, making him scream again.

This silent mockery and sarcasm made Jeroman lose his mind.

“Attack!”

Jeroman roared, and the knights behind him drew their weapons, the magicians raised their staffs, and they all attacked Shien together.

Unfortunately, Shien still didn’t move a muscle, and even the girls around him just watched with grim expressions, unmoving.

However, just because Shien and his group didn’t move, it didn’t mean that no one would.

A scorching breath suddenly descended from the sky, blasting the charging knights.

“Boom—!”

With an explosive roar, the scorching breath spread like erupting magma, instantly scorching the ground and sending the attacking knights flying, screaming as they were blown away, falling to the ground in disarray.

“Roar—!”

A black dragon descended from the sky, hovering above Shien and his group, looking at everyone below and letting out a ferocious roar.

The roar transformed into a powerful shockwave, sweeping over everyone.

“The black dragon of Atlus!”

“It’s the black dragon of Atlus!”

The onlookers exclaimed in shock and fear.

Jeroman, blinded by rage, was doused with a bucket of cold water, his heart filled with shock and anger as he looked at the descending black dragon.

Even he understood that facing the legendary black dragon of Atlus, no matter how many people he had, it was useless.

It was a legendary monster said to be above level ninety, an almost invincible King of Monsters. Unless it was the Royal Knights, which noble’s private army or knight order could defeat such a monster?

“Are you sober now, Duke?”

Shien finally spoke sarcastically.

“Did you really think you were the one in a position of power? Don’t you think you’re being a little too cocky?”

These words made the veins on Jeroman’s temples bulge, his fists clenching tightly, his rage evident.

When had he ever been treated like this?

As a Duke, a high-ranking noble, a true member of the royal family, even the royal family had to greet him with a smile. Even the king of the small country bordering his territory flattered him. How could Jeroman tolerate being treated like this?

This was also the reason why he dared to bring his knights to Shien’s doorstep, even though he knew Shien wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

In his opinion, Shien was just a viscount, no matter how extraordinary. He should still show respect to him, a Duke.

Who would have thought that Shien not only didn’t give him any face, but also mocked and humiliated him relentlessly, not taking him seriously at all.

“You’re just a viscount, how dare you treat me like this?” Jeroman roared. “Do you really think you’re Princess Lucy’s husband? You’re just a candidate!”

This was also one of the reasons why Jeroman dared to come here.

After all, Shien was just a candidate, not Lucy’s actual husband, so Jeroman dared to act so arrogantly.

However…

“Are you senile? Do you really think you’re that impressive?” Shien’s smile vanished as he looked at Jeroman and said nonchalantly, “Setting aside the matter of whether I’m a candidate or a viscount, I was granted a royal token when I was still an adventurer. Have you forgotten? Or do you simply not care?”

Saying so, Shien took out the royal token from his pocket.

Seeing the token, everyone suddenly remembered this matter.

That’s right, Shien did have a royal token.

Because Shien had done so many impressive things, many people had forgotten that he possessed a royal token.

“Seeing the royal token is like seeing a member of the royal family. I don’t need to teach you this rule, do I, old man?” Shien looked at Jeroman, whose face was alternating between pale and livid, and said sarcastically, “Want to compare statuses? I really want to say, you’re not the king, and there are people of higher status than you. You, a Duke, are just a high-ranking noble at best, or a descendant of someone who lost in the struggle for the throne and was sent to the frontier. What makes you so arrogant?”

“You… you…” Jeroman’s hand trembled as he pointed at Shien.

He was both angry and furious.

He couldn’t believe that Shien dared to say such things.

These words weren’t just an insult to him, but to all Dukes.

Because of Shien’s words, the members of the Duke families in the crowd twitched their lips.

But at this moment, Shien no longer held back.

“You want this guy?”

Shien kicked Edel, who was lying on the ground, a chilling smile appearing on his face.

“Fine, I’ll leave you the corpse.”

Saying so, Shien stepped on Edel’s neck and suddenly exerted force.

“Crack!”

Edel’s screams stopped abruptly.

“No!!!”

Jeroman’s mournful cry echoed throughout the area.

Chapter 435: “I Want to Make a Big Fuss.”

Royal Palace, King’s Bedroom.

Ancil was just about to go to bed.

However, before he could even lie down, a message was relayed to him through the palace guards.

“What did you say?”

Ancil, already in his pajamas, was jolted awake by the guard’s words.

“The Lucica family’s son was taken away by Viscount Buztout, who even declared that Duke Lucica should come and retrieve him personally?”

Upon hearing this, Ancil only had one thought.

That was…

“That boy, why does he always do such shocking things?”

Ancil changed out of his pajamas and into his outdoor clothes.

It couldn’t be helped.

The guard had told him that the head of the Lucica family was furious and was heading towards the Buztout mansion with his guards.

“What a fool. Knowing that there’s a Demon Lord backing that boy, he still dares to act like this. It seems the Lucica family has been too comfortable in the south these past few years, to the point that they’ve forgotten that some people are absolutely not to be trifled with.”

To prevent bloodshed in the capital, Ancil could only hurriedly take his guards and rush to the Buztout mansion, without even having time to inform Aldia.

At the same time, the two princesses also received the news.

“Lucica…”

Lucy raised an eyebrow, and as if thinking of something, she didn’t look displeased, but instead smiled.

“This is a good opportunity.”

After all, Lucy had long disliked the Lucica family.

Or rather, she had long disliked the arranged marriage between them and her family.

Now, she finally had a chance to use this incident to her advantage.

“Let’s go and see.”

Lucy changed her clothes and, with the female knights of the Holy Sword Knights, left the palace.

And naturally, Lia, who had just gone to bed, was also awakened by this news.

“Edel attempted to abduct a woman associated with Viscount Buztout in broad daylight, so he was severely injured and taken to the Buztout mansion?”

Lia’s face was full of disbelief.

But after the initial shock, Lia felt anger and disgust.

“That young master finally caused a big problem.”

Lia didn’t doubt the authenticity of this news at all.

Because this was indeed something Edel, as she knew him, would do.

How could she not know her fiancé’s character?

“I thought he would restrain himself at a time like this, but he actually still dared to do such a thing.”

At this moment, because of Lucy’s husband selection, all sorts of influential figures had come to the capital and could appear at any time.

Under such circumstances, even the most spoiled noble sons would be warned by their families to restrain themselves and not offend anyone they shouldn’t.

Edel, however, still dared to do such a thing. He was truly courting death, and no one could blame him but himself.

However, this couldn’t be entirely blamed on Edel.

Firstly, Melika was an elf, clearly not a noble from any country, so Edel didn’t think about this aspect.

Secondly, both Melika and Lumia were dressed as adventurers, making Edel think that they weren’t important figures.

Moreover, Melika seemed naive and inexperienced, and Edel was irritated and impulsive after being turned away by Lia and the royal family. In the end, Edel still made his move.

If Melika had been dressed more elegantly, and if she hadn’t been alone with Lumia, but had guards, then Edel wouldn’t have acted rashly, no matter how bold he was.

Even if he wanted to, Eichi and Reid, his guards, would have stopped him to prevent him from causing trouble for the Lucica family.

As mentioned before, Edel was just incompetent and a wastrel, not stupid.

This time, he really just happened to kick the wrong iron plate.

“This time, the Lucica family is truly going to be infamous.”

Lia didn’t feel ashamed, but rather, a sense of satisfaction.

She even hoped that Edel would be punished and the Lucica family would be humiliated, so they wouldn’t dare to come knocking on their door so self-righteously, demanding the fulfillment of the engagement arranged by the previous king.

Of course, in terms of her position, Lia couldn’t ignore this matter.

“I wonder what Shien is thinking. Teaching that young master a lesson is understandable, and the Lucica family wouldn’t dare to retaliate because of this, but directly taking him away? The old man of the Lucica family definitely won’t let this go.”

It wasn’t just a matter of face, but also because Edel was the only remaining heir of the Lucica family. That old man doted on him and wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

Therefore, this conflict would definitely be a big one.

“Could he be doing this on purpose?”

Lia couldn’t understand Shien’s thoughts.

Actually, Lia was overthinking it this time.

Shien didn’t even know who Edel was.

However, Shien was truly enraged. He hadn’t expected such a cliché plot of a noble abusing his power to bully others to actually happen around him.

Although the plot was cliché, actually encountering it, besides anger, there was only more anger.

Shien couldn’t imagine what would have happened to Melika if he hadn’t received Nadue’s revelation and didn’t know what she was going through.

The more he thought about it, the angrier Shien became.

Therefore, Shien definitely wouldn’t let this matter be resolved peacefully.

Although Shien hated trouble and clichéd face-slapping, he was now a noble, the future husband of a princess, with a Dragon Demon behind him and an evil god by his side, and he was also the Hero. If he didn’t show off his power, then this transmigration would be a waste.

Therefore, this time, Shien was determined to be ruthless and let everyone know that he wasn’t to be trifled with, lest any other fools target the people around him in the future.

“A Duke?”

“The last Duke who acted so arrogantly doesn’t even have a grave, let alone grass growing on it.”

This was Shien’s thought.

Lia, unaware of all this, thought there must be some reason behind it. After some thought, she decided,

“Let’s go and see.”

Without informing Charl or anyone else, Lia took a few knight guards and also left the palace.

All of this couldn’t be hidden from the nobles’ spies.

Knowing the cause and effect, the nobles knew that tonight, the capital wouldn’t be peaceful.

…

Buztout Mansion, Main Hall.

“Bang!”

With a sudden thud, Edel was sent flying, crashing into the wall and collapsing with a scream.

Diere glared at the screaming Edel, her footsteps filled with rage, a blade in her hand, as if she was about to finish him off.

“Diere…!?”

“Don’t… don’t hit him anymore…!”

Seeing this, Melika and Lumia seemed to be frightened and quickly stepped forward, hugging Diere.

Vivian also held Diere’s shoulder, stopping her.

“Alright, calm down.” Vivian’s face was dark. “If you continue, he’ll really die.”

“Then let him die.” Diere said coldly. “Scum like him, it’s best if they’re dead.”

“Don’t… don’t kill me…!” Edel was terrified, ignoring the intense pain all over his body, crying and begging for mercy.

Shien sat there, not stopping Diere at all, as if he wouldn’t even frown if Edel was beaten to death.

Melika, on the other hand, tried to persuade Diere.

“I’m fine now, Diere.”

Melika said weakly.

Diere glared at Melika and said with displeasure, “What? Do you want something to happen to you?”

Melika quickly shook her head.

Of course, she didn’t want anything to happen.

In fact, even now, Melika still felt lingering fear.

However, this wasn’t the first time Melika had encountered such a thing.

Therefore, Melika just whispered, “I know everyone is trying to protect me, but I feel bad for causing so much trouble and making everyone so angry…”

These were Melika’s true feelings.

She didn’t really care about Edel’s life or death.

Elves were naturally kind, but they valued their purity more than anything else. If someone tried to violate them, even if they wouldn’t kill them, they definitely wouldn’t plead for them.

The reason she stopped Diere was purely because she felt bad for causing so much trouble and making everyone so angry.

Vivian patted Melika’s shoulder and sighed.

“I wasn’t considerate enough this time.” Vivian said guiltily, “I should have known that at a time like this, the capital is full of nobles who usually abuse their power. I shouldn’t have let you and Lumia go out to buy recovery items alone.”

As she spoke, Vivian herself felt a bit scared.

“Fortunately, Shien was there this time. Otherwise, I really don’t know how to apologize to you.”

Vivian’s words made everyone look at Shien.

Who would have thought?

The novice male adventurer who was forced into their squad by Relia, whom they were wary of and worried about having improper thoughts, had now not only been living under the same roof as them, but also saved Melika and Lumia from a noble who had tried to take advantage of them.

Fate was truly a wonderful thing.

However…

“Is this really okay?” Vivian asked seriously. “If I’m not mistaken, this person should be the son of the Lucica family, Duke Lucica’s own son. Bringing him back like this and openly asking his family to come and get him, if this isn’t handled properly, even the royal family might not be able to support you.”

After all, a Duke was a high-ranking noble, a true member of the royal family. If things escalated too much, even the royal family might not be able to protect Shien.

However…

“Don’t worry.”

Shien wasn’t worried at all and even smiled.

“This time, I’ll let everyone who doubts me know that the power behind me isn’t just the Mitra royal family.”

No matter what, one thing was certain.

“I want to make a big fuss.”

Chapter 434: “Who Are You Trying to Intimidate?”

“Wh-what?”

“What happened?”

“A private brawl?”

“Quickly inform the Knight Order or the adventurers on night patrol!”

The surrounding pedestrians finally noticed the commotion, startled at first, then buzzing with excitement.

Shien, however, ignored them, not even glancing at Edel and his group. He turned to Melika and Lumia, looked them over, and then subtly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Are you alright?”

Shien asked, stepping forward.

That familiar voice finally made Melika and Lumia realize they had been saved.

“Mr. Shien!”

“Mr. Shien!”

The next moment, both girls threw themselves into Shien’s arms.

“Uh…”

Shien hadn’t expected these usually nervous and timid girls to be so agitated as to jump into his arms, and he was startled.

But soon, his heart was filled with tenderness.

The two girls in his arms were trembling.

It was easy to imagine how scared they had been.

Especially Melika, who looked relieved and on the verge of tears.

“Mr. Shien… Mr. Shien…”

Melika clung tightly to Shien as if holding onto something precious she had almost lost, muttering his name, letting Shien imagine what she had just gone through.

As an elf who valued purity, and having been offended by someone like Magray before, Melika’s reaction to this kind of situation was completely understandable.

Therefore, Shien also softened his expression, patting Melika’s back and Lumia’s shoulder, comforting them.

“Alright, it’s okay now. Don’t be afraid.”

Shien was unusually gentle.

At this moment, Eichi and Reid, who had shakily gotten up from the ground, finally saw their attacker clearly, their expressions changing drastically.

“Shien Buztout…!?”

“They… they actually know Shien Buztout…?”

Eichi and Reid instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

Clearly, they were terrified.

“Cough…!”

Edel kept coughing up blood, ignoring the pain in his chest, and tried to crawl away.

He might be incompetent and a wastrel, but he wasn’t a fool.

Since Melika and Lumia knew Shien, if he didn’t run now, he would be done for.

Unfortunately…

“[Bestow: Bind].”

The air around Edel suddenly solidified, like an invisible crane, pressing down on him heavily.

“Gah…! Ah…!?”

Edel froze, unable to move, as if he couldn’t breathe, letting out strange cries as blood trickled from his mouth.

Shien, holding Melika and Lumia’s shoulders, turned to look at Edel.

“Did I say you could leave?”

Shien had a smile on his face, but for some reason, it sent chills down people’s spines.

“Wait!”

“Stop!”

Eichi and Reid, seeing this, subconsciously exclaimed.

“This has nothing to do with you. Step aside.”

Shien didn’t even look at the two knights, saying this indifferently.

But that was all it took for the two knights to freeze.

Shien had used the [Pressure] skill, enveloping the two knights with a terrifying aura, making their faces pale with fear, their bodies trembling, unable to move.

Shien suppressed two high-level knights above level seventy with just his aura.

This scene was witnessed by the surrounding pedestrians.

They began to discuss amongst themselves, their faces full of surprise, unsure if they had recognized Shien or Edel, surrounding the scene.

“You two step aside first.”

Shien whispered to the two girls in his arms.

“Yes…!”

Lumia seemed to have calmed down. Seeing herself clinging to Shien, she quickly let go and retreated timidly.

“Mr. Shien…?”

Melika, not knowing what Shien was planning to do, looked a bit uneasy.

“It’s okay, step back.” Shien smiled at Melika. “I’ll help you get your revenge.”

Melika stared at Shien, then nodded firmly and stepped aside.

Shien’s smile vanished as he walked towards Edel.

“What… what do you want?” Edel was terrified. Seeing Shien approaching him, his heart trembled as he blustered, “Don’t come any closer! My father is… Ugh!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Edel’s face was met with a hard punch. With a “bang,” his nose bled as he fell to the ground.

The surrounding pedestrians exclaimed.

Eichi and Reid were even more shocked.

But Shien ignored them and started kicking Edel relentlessly.

“Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” …

With heavy thuds, Edel’s entire body was subjected to merciless kicks, causing the surrounding people to look on in fear.

“Gah! Ah! Stop…! No…! It hurts…! Stop…! Mercy! Aaaaaah…!”

Edel screamed and rolled around, but Shien showed no mercy.

Shien kicked him relentlessly, leaving him bruised and bloodied, a true example of “actions speak louder than words,” not even letting him utter a word. His ruthless demeanor was terrifying.

Only after Edel was barely breathing did Shien stop. He reached out, grabbed the bruised and bloodied Edel, pulled him up, and dragged him before him.

“Come on, tell me,” Shien said with a smirk. “Who is your father?”

Shien didn’t even allow this small fry to use the cliché of threatening him with his background. He would only ask after teaching him a lesson.

Edel was already crying.

And it was the kind of crying where tears and snot flowed together.

“M-my father is a Duke…”

Edel mumbled, his words slurred.

“Really?” Shien said with a smile. “Are you sure your father isn’t the king?”

Edel was stunned.

“It seems he’s not.” Shien nodded as if he had received an answer, then his expression suddenly changed. “Since your father isn’t the most powerful one, who are you trying to intimidate!?”

After that, Shien punched him again.

“Bang!”

“Ah!”

The punch landed squarely on Edel’s face, creating a thud and a scream.

Edel was sent flying, rolling on the ground like the two knights before him, rolling into the surrounding crowd, startling the pedestrians, who hurriedly dodged.

This blow knocked Edel unconscious, unable to move.

Blood stained the ground beneath him and where he had rolled.

The scene was indescribably gruesome.

“Master Edel!”

Eichi and Reid finally couldn’t help but shout, their hearts filled with despair.

Because they knew that after letting Edel end up like this, it would be difficult for them to explain themselves to the family head.

At this moment, someone finally brought the Knight Order.

“Make way!”

“Step aside!”

“What happened!?”

The knights rushed to the scene and, seeing the situation, shouted sternly.

However, when they saw Shien standing there, his fists dripping with blood, his face cold, they were all shocked.

“That’s… Viscount Buztout…!?”

“Princess Lucy’s top candidate for a husband…!”

The knights easily recognized Shien.

This wouldn’t have happened in the past.

Although Shien was famous in the past, he wasn’t famous enough to be easily recognized.

But since his battle with Harvis on stage, Shien’s appearance and past deeds had become more and more well-known. Now, at least in the capital, everyone knew him.

This was why the knights were shocked.

They probably hadn’t expected that the one causing trouble here was Shien, the recent hot topic.

But Shien still ignored everyone.

He walked straight to the unconscious Edel and picked him up with one hand.

“You two are his guards, right?” Shien, holding Edel with one hand, looked at Eichi and Reid and said indifferently, “In that case, go back and tell this guy’s father, the Duke, to come to my mansion and pick him up.”

Saying so, Shien looked around and said slowly,

“I’d like to see if a mere Duke has become so lawless that he can allow his son to assault and harass girls in broad daylight in the royal capital.”

Hearing these words, the surrounding people finally understood what had happened and started to clamor.

Eichi and Reid’s faces turned pale, their lips trembling, unable to utter a word.

After saying that, Shien went to Melika and Lumia.

“Let’s go, we’re going back.”

Saying so, Shien carried Edel, and with Melika and Lumia, returned to the Buztout mansion.

Only the people at the scene remained, looking at each other, the clamor growing louder.

The knights also realized that something big was about to happen.

“Let’s go, quickly report this.”

“Viscount Buztout seems to have confronted a Duke.”

“Something big is going to happen.”

The knights came and went in a hurry.

In the royal capital, a not-so-small commotion was about to begin.

Chapter 433: “Mr. Shien…?”

As Nadue said, Melika was in big trouble.

“Melika…”

Lumia was terrified, hiding beside Melika, her body trembling, on the verge of tears.

“I-it’s okay, Lumia, don’t be afraid.”

Melika held Lumia’s hand, comforting her, but her own face was filled with tension. She bit her lip, her grip on Lumia’s hand tightening, revealing her anxiety.

Before them, Edel, with Eichi and Reid, blocked their path, their gazes lingering on the girls, their smiles polite yet forced, giving off a pretentious air.

Edel’s eyes were filled with excitement.

It was the look of someone whose sadistic tendencies had been stimulated.

Clearly, Melika’s nervousness and Lumia’s fear had aroused a sense of pleasure in this Duke’s son.

Therefore, Edel didn’t restrain himself, but instead became even more brazen.

“Why so nervous?” Edel said with a smirk. “I just want to invite you two ladies to dinner. That’s not too much to ask, is it?”

Lumia was speechless, and Melika, although also afraid, mustered her courage and said,

“I… I’m really not comfortable with this. Please, can you stop?”

Melika tried her best to express her thoughts.

However, Melika didn’t know that for those with malicious intentions, her words not only had no persuasive power, but also reinforced her image as someone “easy to bully.”

At least, that’s what Edel thought.

Therefore…

“That’s a bit ungrateful, Miss Elf.” Edel laughed brazenly. “Let me tell you the truth. I’m the son of a Duke. My father is the head of the Lucica family. I’m the next Duke, and also the fiancé of Princess Liadella, the first in line to the throne. Even your elven royalty have to be polite to me. Are you sure you want to disrespect me like this?”

“Ugh…” Melika was speechless.

If what he said was true, then his status was indeed not something she could defy.

The elves were a noble and transcendent race, especially the elven royalty, a symbol of nobility in the human world, even human kings showing them respect.

However, the Kingdom of Mitra was also the Hero’s Kingdom, founded by the Hero who defeated the Demon King. The royalty of this country was also respected by the elves.

The Elven King was once a companion of the Hero Mitra, and had close relationships with the ancestors of the Elvenbein family and the elite warriors of the Hero’s party, the predecessors of the Royal Knights. He could even be considered one of them, fighting alongside the Hero’s companions against the Beast Demon, one of the Six Demon Lords, in the war a thousand years ago, earning him a place in history and great fame.

Because of this, the relationship between the Elven Race and the Kingdom of Mitra was quite good. When elves left the forest to experience the outside world, they usually came to the Kingdom of Mitra, rarely going to other countries.

Therefore, for the royalty of other countries, the elven royalty was an unattainable existence, but towards the Kingdom of Mitra, they always held respect and affection.

Under such circumstances, if he was truly the fiancé of a royal princess, it wasn’t strange for the elven royalty to be polite to him.

Moreover, even if the elven royalty could be impolite, Melika couldn’t.

Because Melika was just an ordinary elf, from an ordinary family in the elven homeland, far from being a noble royal.

“Understand?” Edel smiled smugly. “Since you understand, then you should know what to do, right?”

Saying so, Edel gestured to Eichi and Reid beside him.

Eichi and Reid exchanged glances, then stepped forward expressionlessly, releasing their auras.

Their auras made Melika’s expression change.

“Level seventy…”

These two knights were actually above level seventy.

Knowing this, Melika felt despair.

With two such powerful knights here, she couldn’t even resist.

Not to mention the difference of more than twenty levels, she was also a magician. At this distance, she was afraid that the moment she started chanting a spell, they would immediately subdue her.

Realizing this, Melika said with a trembling voice,

“I’ll go with you, but you have to let my companion go.”

Melika was prepared to compromise and at least protect Lumia.

“No! Melika!”

Lumia, realizing this, shook her head tearfully.

Edel glanced at Lumia, conflicted.

After all, this beastman girl was also exceptionally beautiful. Although not as pure and beautiful as an elf, her frail and helpless appearance also stimulated Edel’s sadistic tendencies.

Among the women Edel had seen, Lumia might not be the most beautiful, but she could still rank among the top five.

If Melika weren’t present, Lumia would also be a prime target in Edel’s eyes.

Unfortunately, Melika had a racial advantage, belonging to the best of the best.

As the closest existence to the Divine Race in the human world, every elf was pure and beautiful, the perfect object of everyone’s desires. In terms of appearance and preference alone, Melika’s priority was even higher than Lia’s for Edel.

After thinking for a moment, Edel decided.

“Since the elf has said so, then fine, I’m not an unreasonable person. I’ll let this dog-person go.”

Edel said nonchalantly, but he secretly thought,

(I’ll find a way to get this elf first, then have someone keep an eye on the dog-person. After I succeed, I’ll find a chance to bring her back as well.)

Edel wasn’t planning to let go of either of these rare beauties.

Melika and Lumia, unaware of Edel’s thoughts, began to argue.

“You… you should go, Lumia!”

“I don’t want to!”

“Please! Go back…!”

“Sob… Melika… no…!”

The two girls hugged each other, one anxious, the other in tears.

Looking at the two girls, Edel didn’t feel any pity, but instead looked at them with appreciation, a hint of regret in his heart.

(If I could enjoy these two together tonight, that would be the greatest pleasure.)

Thinking of this, Edel was a bit reluctant to let Lumia go.

But doing so might cause Melika and Lumia to resist desperately.

Edel wasn’t worried that these two young girls could harm him, but he was afraid that they would be too headstrong and, like some female adventurers he had forced himself on in the past, commit suicide on the spot. That would be a huge loss.

Adventurers were different from others. They often went on adventures and experienced many life-or-death situations.

For them, losing their lives was something they were mentally prepared for. If they were pushed too far, they wouldn’t hesitate to give up their lives.

If these two beautiful girls were lost to him because of this, he would definitely regret it.

(I’ll play it safe first. I can always achieve this goal later.)

Just thinking about it made Edel feel excited.

Edel didn’t know that Melika was even more headstrong than he imagined.

Perhaps because of Melika’s seemingly timid demeanor, Edel subconsciously overlooked the fact that as an elf who valued her purity, Melika would never let someone like him touch a single hair on her head.

Therefore, Melika had already made up her mind.

(After Lumia leaves, I’ll immediately use self-immolation magic.)

Melika thought resolutely.

(But I wonder if Vivian and Diere will be sad.)

And Mr. Shien… would he be sad…?

If he would… then it would be good…

Thinking of this, Melika continuously pushed Lumia away.

“Go, Lumia.” Melika forced a smile. “Go back and find Vivian and Mr. Shien. They’ll definitely find a way.”

“Melika…” Lumia was on the verge of tears.

Edel, who had been smug and excited, suddenly froze.

“Wait, who did she just say?” Edel’s eyes widened, and he murmured, “Mr. Shien…?”

Shien…

Shien…

Wasn’t that…?

“C-could it be that you know…!?”

Edel’s expression finally changed.

However, it was too late to change his expression now.

“Whoosh—!”

A figure, like a stream of light, came rushing from the sky at an astonishing speed, creating a gust of wind as it arrived before Edel.

“Bang!”

With a muffled sound, Edel, whose expression had just changed, didn’t even have time to react before he was kicked away, crashing into the wall of a building.

“Pfft!”

Edel spat out a mouthful of blood, his face filled with pain and shock.

“What…!?”

“An attack…!?”

Eichi and Reid’s expressions also changed. They were shocked, then enraged. They drew their swords and charged towards the figure.

Without hesitation, the two knights, both above level seventy, slashed at the newcomer with their swords.

However…

“Clang!”

“Clang!”

With two metallic clangs, the two swords struck the figure, creating sparks before being deflected.

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

The next moment, two more muffled sounds rang out.

“Gah!”

“Ugh!”

Eichi and Reid, like Edel, were kicked away mercilessly, crashing to the ground and rolling away.

The owner of the figure finally appeared before everyone.

“Mr. Shien…!”

“Mr. Shien!”

Seeing the figure clearly, Melika and Lumia were first stunned, then their faces lit up with joy.

The newcomer was Shien.

Chapter 432: “See If You Still Dare After This.”

“I… I finally managed to get through that…”

In the Buztout mansion’s large bath, Shien walked out, covered in water vapor, looking exhausted.

Don’t misunderstand, he was truly mentally exhausted, not physically exhausted from doing something strenuous.

Although Shien wanted to transform into a beast and devour the daughter of the Elvenbein family, who was offering him such a great opportunity, she clearly didn’t intend to let him have his way, only relentlessly teasing and questioning him. If Shien dared to pounce on her, she would immediately punch him and send him flying.

“Unless you tell me what you’re hiding from me.”

The naked, purple-haired girl said this more than once. Although her tone was calm and her expression indifferent, since she no longer wore a mask in front of Shien, seeing her face, a hidden beauty who would surely become another treasure of the Kingdom, and her unclothed form, Shien really wanted to surrender and tell Diere everything.

However, this matter wasn’t suitable to be shared with Diere.

Because Shien knew that with Diere’s personality, if he told her about Mara and the Raifurut family, she might suddenly disappear without a word, go find them herself, and settle the score.

Don’t doubt it, this was definitely something Diere would do.

This girl had never been afraid of danger and never had the habit of leaving her matters to others, relying on them, or asking for their help. Therefore, Shien was certain that once she knew about this, she would definitely try to deal with it alone.

This was absolutely unacceptable.

Shien recalled the information Harvis had given him.

“The elite assassins of the Raifurut family are usually loyal dogs trained from childhood.”

“They have a very secretive organization that constantly searches for talented children or abandoned babies, providing them with comprehensive closed-door training.”

“During this process, countless people die from the intensity of the training, and even more suffer mental breakdowns and are disposed of. Only a small portion remain, losing their sense of self, numb to reality, and only obeying orders.”

“It is because of this that the Raifurut family’s elite assassination squad can even rival the former [Assassination Branch].”

These elite assassins trained by the Raifurut family were all at least level sixty and above, and among them were even level seventy elites. They had eliminated many opponents and troubles for the Raifurut family.

This time, the Raifurut family seemed to have sent a ten-person squad, two of whom had reached level seventy, and the remaining eight were all above level sixty, very powerful.

And Wolram himself was adopted by the current head of the Raifurut family. Due to his outstanding performance in the training facility, he was allowed to enter the Raifurut family and become a powerful tool under the family head’s command.

“His level is as high as seventy-seven, and he also possesses a Unique Skill, said to be a very bloody and ruthless skill. Without preparation, even a legendary-level expert could be killed by him.”

“Two years ago, Wolram even fought Kilian of the [Assassination Branch] once. In the end, if Bedo hadn’t intervened, Kilian might have been killed by him.”

“I once sparred with him in the name of friendly competition, without using my Unique Skill or Thunderstorm, and he didn’t use his Unique Skill either. Although I had the upper hand, I couldn’t defeat him.”

It was clear how strong Wolram was.

For Shien, this opponent might not be much, but for Diere, he was a terrifying opponent, difficult to defeat.

At least, Shien couldn’t see a future where Diere defeated Wolram, let alone a future where she defeated the ten-person assassination squad, unless she used the power of her “horn.”

But if that happened, it would be a big problem.

Once she unleashed the power of her “horn,” Diere, in her berserk state, might destroy the entire royal capital.

In terms of potential, Diere was definitely no less than Wolram.

But Diere was still young, only sixteen years old, and her strength was still growing. It wasn’t easy for her to compare to Wolram, who was almost thirty.

Therefore, Shien couldn’t tell Diere about this.

“This is for your own good, you little vixen, and you’re still giving me so much trouble.”

Shien sighed, leaning against the wall.

“One day, I’ll make you kneel and call me daddy. Let’s see if you still dare to mess with me then.”

Shien muttered resentfully as he prepared to return to his room.

He had been out all day, and he heard that Lilith almost tore down the entire Buztout mansion after waking up and not finding him. If it weren’t for Airi and Lasha stopping her, this evil god might have already rushed out into the streets.

Therefore, Shien had to go back and appease this clingy little girl, lest she demolish his house every day.

As Shien was thinking this, he didn’t notice that Nadue, the goddess merged with nature, was also sighing helplessly.

“So, he and the Goddess of Fate’s other blessed one are already at this stage?”

Nadue felt both amused and emotional.

“I really don’t know how this Hero managed to do it.”

As someone who had witnessed everything, Nadue was lost in thought.

“Speaking of which, the name Mara… I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before…”

After Shien’s conversation with Harvis, Nadue, who had witnessed everything, kept muttering these words.

However, for some reason, Nadue couldn’t remember anything about this name.

“I’m a bit curious. I’ll check out the situation in the Empire if I have time later.”

Nadue decided.

But at this moment, Nadue suddenly felt a jolt.

“This is…?”

Nadue frowned, her expression turning serious.

During this time, Nadue had focused all her attention on Shien, but she had also divided a small part of her spirit to monitor some existences she was concerned about through the flowers, plants, trees, and other elements of nature.

Under such circumstances, if the beings she was paying attention to did anything unusual, or if they encountered any situation, the flowers, plants, and trees in nature would convey the information to Nadue.

Therefore, Nadue already knew that the blessed candidate she had her eye on was currently in trouble.

“Should I go help her?”

Nadue hesitated.

For her, it was just a small effort.

However, if she intervened, she would definitely be noticed by the Dragon Demon, Lilith, and others.

If they noticed her, it would be impossible for her to continue silently observing Shien like this.

Especially the Dragon Demon. Even though she had seen a different side of her here, for Nadue, this one was still a short-tempered and brutal existence, not easy to get along with.

If she knew that Nadue was watching the person she liked, she might directly barge into the Divine Realm to demand an explanation, right?

That would be troublesome.

“Right.”

Nadue turned her gaze to Shien, who was walking while supporting himself against the wall.

“He has the Mother Goddess’s blessing, so he should also have the power of my blessing.”

The Supreme God’s blessing included the world’s protection, and the effects of all the Divine Race goddesses’ blessings could take effect on him. Among them must also be her power – the [Blessing of the Nature God].

Since that was the case…

“Using the method we usually use to give revelations to believers and blessed ones, I should be able to talk to him directly.”

Just like Elise could borrow the power of the Goddess of Life through prayer, the goddesses could also connect with the minds of their believers or blessed ones and communicate with them directly.

“Let’s do it this way.”

Nadue made up her mind.

…

“Hmm?”

Shien, who was heading towards his room, suddenly stopped, his expression changing slightly.

Because at this moment, a faint magic power descended upon him, as if connecting with him, enveloping him.

“This is…?”

Shien subconsciously wanted to mobilize his magic power and dispel this enveloping magic power.

However, before that, a voice incredibly rang out from the depths of his heart.

“Hello, Hero Shien.”

It was a clear voice, like a spring in the mountains, or a gentle breeze blowing through the forest, refreshing and pleasant.

“Who are you?”

Shien stopped what he was about to do and asked silently in his heart.

The other party answered,

“I am Nadue, Nadue, the Goddess of Nature.”

The owner of the voice revealed herself to Shien, surprising him.

“The Goddess of Nature? One of the three great goddesses of the Divine Race?”

Wasn’t that the pinnacle of the Divine Realm, on par with Anima?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I’m also glad you know of me. It’s my honor to be remembered by a Hero like you.”

The other party spoke in a dignified and courteous voice, making Shien feel as if a noble princess was bowing to him, his heart filled with wonder and admiration.

This elegant, dignified, and polite feeling made even Shien understand that she was definitely a pure and flawless being.

However…

“I apologize for speaking to you in such a presumptuous manner, but there’s something I need your help with. It’s rather urgent, so could you please go to this place now?”

With these words, a message appeared in Shien’s mind, pointing him in a direction.

Then, before Shien could ask any questions, the Goddess of Nature’s explanation followed.

“There, a child I value is in trouble.”

“She’s also someone you know.”

“Her name is Melika.”

Hearing this, Shien’s gaze sharpened.

Chapter 431: The Most Unfortunate Person

Edel felt that today, he was both unfortunate and fortunate.

Unfortunate because, after today’s events, he clearly realized that the goddess of his dreams would belong to someone else, someone he couldn’t compete with, and didn’t even dare to compete with. He had finally accepted this cruel reality and no longer dared to fantasize about Lucy.

Among the nobles competing in the royal capital, there were many who were more outstanding and of higher birth than him. He, a Duke’s son who only dared to act arrogantly in his own territory, had no advantages here and didn’t even dare to provoke a mere viscount.

That wasn’t the worst part.

Regarding Lucy, Edel had long accepted the harsh reality and knew that he could never obtain the Kingdom’s treasure. He had already shifted his target and only wanted to fulfill the arranged marriage and marry the other princess.

However, even in this matter, he hadn’t made any progress. This was the true misfortune.

Walking on the streets of the capital, recalling how he had just gone to Lia’s residence to request an audience, only to be turned away, and even his attempt to seek an audience with the king failed, forcing him to leave dejectedly, Edel’s heart was filled with anger and resentment.

“Those royal bastards, they must be looking down on me, not planning to fulfill the engagement at all, right?”

Edel could see through this.

This was precisely why he was so angry.

“I’m also a Duke’s son, and I also have the Hero’s blood flowing through my veins. What right do they have to look down on me?”

Edel vented his frustration, bumping into passersby along the way, attracting countless angry glares.

But seeing the two knights guarding Edel, the passersby knew he was a noble and could only suppress their anger, cursing him inwardly before leaving the scene.

Edel continued to vent his anger like this, occasionally cursing, making the two knights beside him feel disdainful.

“He still dares to call himself a descendant of the Hero.”

“With his behavior, even if he had the true Hero’s blood, it would be tarnished by him, let alone a Duke’s son whose bloodline has been diluted for generations, with barely any Hero’s blood left.”

The two knights also looked down on Edel.

Edel was truly incompetent, only knowing how to bully others. He was a complete wastrel, his level less than twenty. If it weren’t for the fact that he was the only remaining heir of the Lucica family, he would have been abandoned long ago. How could he still be swaggering around here?

Both knights had served the Lucica family for a long time, so they knew very well that originally, it wasn’t this incompetent wastrel who was engaged to the royal princess.

Edel’s two older brothers were both very outstanding individuals, especially the eldest, whose talent was no less than that of Limgir from the Stalim family. At a young age, he was considered a pillar of the family and received their focused attention.

It was precisely because he couldn’t compare to his outstanding older brother that Edel, driven by jealousy, became an incompetent wastrel. Initially, the Lucica family intended to betroth their eldest son to the royal princess, or at least their second son.

Who would have thought that an accident would take the lives of both the eldest and second sons of the Lucica family, and the engagement between the royal family and the Lucica family would fall to Edel, letting him benefit greatly?

If it weren’t for this, how could the Lucica family present such an incompetent wastrel?

It was truly a desperate move.

But Edel was completely unaware of this and thought that this was fate, that he was the one destined to become the royal son-in-law, that he was the one destined to marry the beautiful princess, and that his two older brothers simply weren’t fortunate enough. He had always been smug about this.

Until he came to the royal capital and was repeatedly treated coldly by Lia, turned away by the royal family, Edel became like this, his heart filled with resentment.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

Enraged, Edel finally lost his temper and kicked over a shop sign by the roadside, startling the surrounding people, who fled in all directions.

At this moment, what Edel considered a stroke of luck happened.

After the surrounding people scattered, Edel saw two girls who seemed to be discussing something serious and hadn’t noticed the commotion.

Seeing the two girls, the resentment in Edel’s heart suddenly dissipated, and his angry eyes lit up.

The reason was simple: these two girls were exceptionally beautiful.

They were a beastman girl and an elf girl.

The beastman girl seemed to be a dog-person, with a pair of cute dog ears and a fluffy tail. She wasn’t wearing the animal hide clothing favored by beastmen, but light armor preferred by adventurers. She looked delicate and timid, like a trembling little animal, stimulating a man’s protective instincts.

Even Edel, a seasoned womanizer, was captivated by such a cute beastman girl. She was much more adorable and beautiful than most girls he had seen, and would definitely be a target he would pursue.

But beside this cute beastman girl was an even more beautiful existence.

She had a pure appearance, fair skin, a slender figure, and wore a robe, exuding a natural holiness, but she seemed to be troubled by something, her face melancholic, instantly hitting Edel’s strike zone.

Ever since he saw Lucy, Edel’s preferences had become somewhat strange. Apart from exceptionally beautiful women, other women were just ordinary in his eyes, no longer appealing to him. Only those who resembled Lucy could stimulate his desires.

But after seeing this elf girl, Edel discovered that his pure preference for beauty seemed to have returned.

This was a woman no less beautiful than Liadella, perhaps even more so.

Moreover, she was an elf, a race known for its beauty and purity. How much this would stimulate a man’s desires was easy to imagine.

For the beings of the human world, elves were an unattainable existence, their beauty and purity second only to the goddesses of the Divine Race.

Therefore, countless people were infatuated with elves, and the higher their status, the more passionate they were about elven girls.

Unfortunately, not only were elves few in number, but they were also naturally aloof, with an unusual obsession with cleanliness, never allowing others to touch them easily. Elven royalty might even find it dirty to talk to people from other races. Unless they gained their approval, even Heroes wouldn’t be given any special treatment.

Moreover, since elves lived in secluded forests, ordinary people couldn’t contact them, let alone see them. In this world, those who could form a relationship with an elven woman were very few.

Edel had never seen an elf in his own territory.

Because of the Lucica family’s reputation, the Lucica territory, which constantly received “tribute” from the neighboring small country, wasn’t highly regarded among the Kingdom’s territories. Although not chaotic, it was filled with corrupt nobles and those who abused their power, so even adventurers didn’t want to develop there, let alone elves.

Young elves sometimes left the forest to experience the outside world, but they would only go to territories with good reputations, or to the bases of elves who were already active in the outside world.

After all, no one knew better than elves how much outsiders coveted them, how greedy and evil they were towards them.

Thanks to this, although Edel had heard of the Elven Race, and like normal men, had yearned for and desired them, he never had the chance to lay his hands on one.

Until today, Edel discovered that the Goddess of Fate had finally smiled upon him.

“Eichi, Reid, do you see that?”

Edel pointed excitedly and said to the two knights beside him.

“An elf! A real elf!”

Hearing Edel’s excited voice, the two knights, Eichi and Reid, felt even more disdainful, but they couldn’t help but feel a flicker of amazement and desire in their eyes upon seeing the elf girl.

“There really is an elf.”

“As expected of the royal capital.”

Eichi and Reid exclaimed in admiration.

This undoubtedly made Edel even more excited.

“Judging from her appearance, she seems to be an adventurer, right?” Edel stared at Melika and asked hurriedly, “Do you know her?”

Eichi and Reid shook their heads decisively.

In this world, there were indeed some elves who worked as adventurers, traveling in human countries and even becoming famous, but as far as Eichi and Reid knew, this elf girl didn’t match any of the known powerful elves.

In other words, she was likely an elf who had just arrived in the human world.

Thinking of this, Eichi and Reid couldn’t help but look at Edel enviously.

Because they knew that Edel had definitely set his sights on her.

And an elf girl who had just arrived in the human world should be relatively easy to take advantage of, right?

“It seems I’m quite lucky.”

Edel grinned, the desire in his heart hard to suppress.

It had been a long time since he felt this excited, this aroused.

Therefore…

“I’m taking that elf.”

Having made up his mind, Edel walked towards Melika without hesitation.

Eichi and Reid frowned, but could only helplessly follow.

Edel was right.

Today, he was fortunate.

But at the same time, he was also the most unfortunate.

Chapter 430: What Should I Do?

While Shien was being held captive by Diere and becoming her “plaything,” Lumia and Melika were out shopping on their own.

“Sigh…”

Along the way, Melika hugged her staff, listening to the discussions around them, and couldn’t help but sigh softly.

Lumia, nervously following Melika, looked worried.

“Are you alright, Melika?” Lumia asked anxiously. “If you’re not feeling well, you should go back and rest. I can go and buy the recovery items myself.”

The two of them were out so late to purchase recovery items, namely various magic potions, for their adventures.

Since the Atlus Gorge incident, Vivian had realized how important sufficient recovery items were for a squad, not only for sustaining prolonged battles but also for ensuring safety and maintaining combat effectiveness. Therefore, Vivian’s squad had developed the habit of stocking up on recovery items, just in case.

This task was usually carried out by Lumia and Melika because Vivian, as the squad leader, needed to communicate and discuss various matters with the guild and didn’t always have the time. Diere was completely clueless about this, and only Lumia and Melika could barely manage this task, becoming the squad’s logistics personnel.

Now, Vivian was still at the guild, preparing for the mission they would be undertaking tomorrow, screening requests, and investigating the movements of various noble families. Diere had gone home first, leaving only the two of them to purchase the remaining recovery items.

Under such circumstances, Melika couldn’t go back alone.

“If I let Lumia go alone, she would definitely be too nervous to talk to unfamiliar shopkeepers.”

Melika smiled wryly.

“Mmm…” Lumia mumbled, embarrassed. “I-if the shopkeeper is a friendly older sister, I… I can still manage…”

In other words, if the shopkeeper wasn’t a friendly older sister, Lumia couldn’t handle it.

Melika, although also prone to nervousness, could at least have a normal conversation with people. If she went back now, Lumia would probably be too afraid to enter the shops and hide at the entrance, eventually crying from anxiety.

Thinking of this, Melika wanted to laugh, but her mood prevented her from doing so.

“Sigh…”

Unconsciously, Melika sighed again.

This had been going on for a while now.

And it wasn’t just today.

“Melika.” Lumia observed Melika’s expression, hesitated for a moment, then said with mustered courage, “What’s wrong with you lately? You’ve been listless, and even Vivian is worried.”

“I-is that so?” Melika seemed self-aware and said guiltily, “Vivian has already noticed?”

“Yes.” Lumia nodded, but then asked in confusion, “But Vivian seems to know why you’re like this. When I asked her if she wanted to talk to you, she said that you have to figure it out yourself, and even Diere said it’s up to you and she won’t interfere with your thoughts.”

“Ugh…” Melika’s face flushed red, and she murmured, “S-so Vivian and Diere both know how I feel?”

H-how embarrassing!

“What’s going on?” Lumia seemed a bit petulant. “Everyone knows what’s happening, but I’m the only one who doesn’t. I feel left out.”

“N-no!” Melika said quickly. “We didn’t mean to leave you out, Lumia!”

“Then what’s wrong with you, Melika?” Lumia pouted. “You can tell me if you have any worries, even if I can’t help…”

Lumia’s petulant expression turned slightly sad and dejected.

“Alright, alright.” Melika could only comfort Lumia, then after hesitating for a moment, she said with a blush, “Then I’ll tell you, but don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Lumia nodded repeatedly, promising, “I won’t tell anyone.”

Melika hesitated, then shyly leaned close to Lumia’s ear and whispered something.

“Wh-what!?” Lumia’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed, “You like Shi-mmmmph…!”

Before she could finish, Melika, her face flushed red, quickly covered Lumia’s mouth.

“Don’t say it!” Melika looked at the passersby who were looking at them because of Lumia’s exclamation and said shyly, “They all heard it! Lumia, you idiot!”

“Mmmmph!” Lumia quickly shook her head tearfully, begging for mercy.

The sight of two beautiful girls playing around on the street was pleasing to the eye. Those passersby might not have been looking at them because of Lumia’s exclamation.

Fortunately, the two girls were already used to being stared at and were no longer as nervous and timid as when they first arrived in the capital. They had developed a certain level of immunity.

After a while, Melika released her hand, giving Lumia a chance to breathe.

And now, Lumia finally understood Melika’s worries.

“Are you worried because Mr. Shien has become Princess Lucy’s top candidate for a husband?”

Lumia finally understood.

“I-it’s not really worry…” Melika said hesitantly. “I know this is a great thing for Mr. Shien. I was surprised, but then again, it’s Mr. Shien, so it’s not surprising that he could become Her Highness’s husband.”

“Yeah.” Lumia agreed deeply. “That’s Princess Lucy. It’s already something to be proud of just to have a good relationship with her. It was already surprising that Mr. Shien was so close to Her Highness. I didn’t expect him to become the top candidate for her husband now. It’s truly astonishing.”

Because of this, Lumia actually admired Shien quite a bit.

After all, not long ago, Shien was just a novice adventurer, a junior who needed to be taken care of by the members of Vivian’s squad. Due to some unpleasant incidents that happened within the squad, Shien was even treated with suspicion by the girls for a while. Now, he had become a popular figure in the Kingdom, not only being ennobled and becoming a viscount, but also achieving a series of astonishing feats and accomplishments.

Moreover, he had also become the top candidate for the Kingdom’s treasure’s husband. The members of Vivian’s squad had witnessed his rise to fame. It was impossible for them not to admire him.

Of course, besides admiration, Lumia also had some questions for Shien.

Recalling the brilliant Holy Sword Shien had unleashed and used when facing the out-of-control Diere in the Atlus Gorge, Lumia murmured unconsciously,

“As expected, Mr. Shien is actually a He-mmmmph…!”

Without any surprise, Lumia’s mouth was covered by Melika again.

“You can’t say that.” Melika covered Lumia’s mouth and said seriously, “Vivian already said that this is a very important matter, related to the future of the three realms and the three races, so we can’t pry or talk about it carelessly. Did you forget?”

Lumia finally reacted and looked at Melika with an apologetic expression.

“You can’t talk about this casually anymore, okay?” Melika released Lumia, but still reminded her worriedly, “You can’t even talk about it at home, okay?”

“I understand.” Lumia said with a bitter face. “I won’t say it or ask about it anymore.”

“That’s good.” Melika was finally relieved.

Compared to the clueless Lumia, Melika had long since confirmed that Shien was actually the Hero.

Although she didn’t know why a Hero would suddenly appear, recalling Shien’s various mysterious aspects and his lack of common sense about this world, Melika was basically certain that Shien was the Hero from another world.

But there must be a deep and hidden reason behind this matter.

A thousand years later, with the Hero Summoning Ritual sealed, why would a Hero suddenly appear?

Just thinking about it, Melika knew how serious the hidden reason must be.

And Shien, caught in this maelstrom, might not be in a good situation.

Therefore, Melika had long since made up her mind to help Shien keep his secret no matter what.

However…

(Only someone as outstanding as Princess Lucy is worthy of being the Hero’s partner, right?)

Thinking of this, Melika couldn’t help but sigh again.

“Ah, you sighed again.” Lumia said in confusion. “What are you thinking, Melika?”

“I… I’m not really thinking about anything.” Melika stammered, then said with some confusion, “I just don’t know what to do next.”

Melika was indeed thinking about this.

Although Melika was envious and surprised by Shien and Lucy’s marriage, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

As she thought, since Shien was the Hero, it seemed normal for him to marry Lucy, a Hero candidate.

The problem was, the person she admired was about to get married, so what should she do?

Should she continue interacting with him while hiding her feelings like before?

Or should she give up on this unrealistic fantasy and face reality?

She was just an ordinary elf. In the eyes of others, elves might be noble and pure, but if the other party was the Hero, how could an ordinary elf like her be worthy of being by his side?

What should she do?

Melika was lost in thought.

She didn’t notice that among the surrounding crowd, a pair of eyes were fixed on her.

Those eyes were filled with surprise, amazement, and… lustful desire.

Chapter 429: Diere’s Revelation

The conversation with Harvis ended there.

Afterward, Shien decisively turned and left, parting ways with Harvis.

They had only established a preliminary cooperative relationship. Whether they would continue to cooperate depended on the outcome of the assassins sent by the Raifurut family.

In any case, when Shien learned that they were targeting Diere and intended to take her life, he no longer planned to let them go.

After all, he didn’t want to be a protagonist who passively waited for events to unfold and then dealt with them.

As long as he confirmed that the other party was an enemy and posed a threat, he would eliminate them directly.

Otherwise, it would be a waste of his almost invincible cheat abilities.

With this thought, Shien returned to the royal capital unnoticed. After some consideration, he reluctantly chose to go home.

“If I go to the palace to see Lucy now, my impure motives might be exposed…”

Entering the princess’s bedroom in the middle of the night, if that wasn’t an impure motive, then what was?

Therefore, Shien reluctantly returned to the Buztout mansion.

“Hmm?”

As soon as he entered the gate, before even reaching the mansion, Shien sensed something unusual and turned his head, looking towards the side of the garden.

There, a figure appeared.

“Diere?”

Shien was slightly taken aback, surprised.

It was Diere, whom Shien and Harvis had just been talking about.

At this moment, Diere was holding a sharp blade, concentrating and gathering magic power.

“Hum…”

The air trembled slightly, and ripples of magic power spread, converging on the blade in Diere’s hand, forming a red magic blade.

It was the [Magic Sword] skill.

“Practicing using [Magic Sword]?”

Shien immediately recognized what Diere was doing.

From Diere’s actions, it seemed she was trying to find a better way to use [Magic Sword].

Shien took a closer look and was surprised to find that Diere’s [Magic Sword] skill had already reached level five.

Even Diere’s own level had risen to sixty-six.

“She’s grown again?” Shien muttered to himself in surprise. “This speed, isn’t it a bit too fast?”

It shouldn’t have been long since the Atlus Gorge incident.

At that time, Diere’s level had just barely broken through to sixty, and now it had already risen to sixty-six. Her growth rate was almost catching up to his own when he wasn’t seriously training.

After thinking about it, Shien walked towards Diere.

“Swish!”

The moment Shien arrived behind Diere, she suddenly turned around, the [Magic Sword] in her hand like a red lightning bolt cutting through the night sky, slashing towards Shien with a sharp whistling sound.

“Clang!”

Shien, without hesitation, reached out and caught the incoming [Magic Sword] blade with his bare hand, the magic blade clanging against his palm as if striking steel.

The sharp [Magic Sword] continued to cut into Shien’s palm, trying to sever it.

Unfortunately, against Shien, who possessed both the maxed-out [Physical Resistance] and [Magic Resistance] skills, a mere level five [Magic Sword] couldn’t even cut his skin.

“Seriously, such strong killing intent?”

Shien looked at the magic blade cutting into his hand and said, a bit speechless.

“It’s you?”

Diere seemed to finally react, abruptly canceling the [Magic Sword]’s power, the red magic light on the blade dissipating.

“What? Did I scare you?”

Shien looked at Diere with a smirk.

“You did scare me.” Diere looked at Shien and said, unusually annoyed, “Being able to catch a [Magic Sword] strike barehanded, if word gets out, not only me, but everyone will be scared to death.”

Saying so, Diere removed her cloak and sheathed the blade in her hand.

Shien looked at this scene, then spoke after a moment.

“Your strength seems to be growing quite quickly.”

“Yes.” Diere seemed self-aware and didn’t deny it, nodding. “In the royal capital, both the difficulty of the missions and the levels of the monsters we need to subjugate are much higher than in Larmigion. After choosing to develop in the capital, everyone in the squad’s strength has been growing rapidly, including mine.”

According to Diere, the strength of everyone in Vivian’s squad had greatly improved after coming to the capital.

For example, Vivian was already preparing to break through to level sixty, and Lumia and Melika were also preparing to break through to level fifty. Everyone’s strength was growing, much faster than when they were in Larmigion.

“You’re also about to break through, right?”

Diere looked at Shien scrutinizingly.

“Well, sort of.”

Shien touched his nose.

When he left the capital, his level was fifty-five. During the battle in Cosmos, after fighting against the rampaging Lilith, although he didn’t defeat her, he gained valuable combat experience from fully experiencing the world’s highest level of power.

Therefore, his level had unconsciously reached fifty-nine, just like Diere before, reaching the threshold of a breakthrough, just one step away from level sixty.

In other words, Shien was about to overcome his weakness of having a low level.

Even though he still couldn’t compare to those truly high-level experts, Shien was no longer the newbie who had just joined Vivian’s squad.

Back then, he was only level ten.

Now, his level had surpassed Lumia and Melika, even reaching Vivian’s level, and was about to catch up to Diere.

Diere had been stuck at this stage for a while, so she almost instinctively sensed Shien’s current situation.

“As expected of the Hero.”

Diere commented.

Shien chuckled, feeling somewhat grateful.

Because he knew that Diere must have some doubts in her heart.

How long had it been since Shien joined Vivian’s squad?

It had only been about three months, right?

In three months, he had gone from level eleven to almost level sixty. Such an astonishing growth rate, even for a Hero, was a bit too much.

Therefore, Diere might have already realized that Shien had something that allowed him to grow rapidly.

However, Diere chose not to pry.

She probably thought this secret was very important to Shien, so she deliberately chose to ignore it.

Shien understood the level of trust this represented.

“It’s so late, and you’re still training here?” Shien suppressed his gratitude and said, “You’re already growing fast enough. There’s no need to rush.”

Diere shook her head.

“This isn’t enough.” Diere said calmly, “At this level, I can’t even make that man bat an eye, let alone surpass him.”

The person Diere was referring to was naturally Aldia.

Surpassing Aldia was Diere’s goal, even her wish.

“You seem to care about him quite a bit.” Shien said casually, “Do you want me to beat him up for you?”

“That’s meaningless.” Diere said indifferently. “It’s not that I don’t believe you can do it. You probably can, but even if you beat him up, he probably wouldn’t feel anything. It’s better to not do it at all.”

Diere’s words sounded a bit obsessive to Shien.

“Actually, I had a brief encounter with him after returning this time.” Shien pondered for a moment, then said, “I think he might not be as emotionless as you think.”

Shien wasn’t speaking up for Aldia.

After interacting with Aldia, Shien did discover that although the rigid knight’s emotions were very subdued, he wasn’t completely emotionless.

He cared about Shien’s strength and expressed his desire to fight him.

He also cared about Shien’s words. After hearing Shien mention Diere, he also said, “No matter what, she has the blood of my Elvenbein family flowing through her veins. She did in the past, she does now, and she always will.”

Shien didn’t know what Aldia was thinking when he said these words.

But he was certain that Aldia was indeed paying attention to Diere, not treating her like she didn’t exist, as Diere said.

However…

“Do you think I’m wrong?”

Diere seemed to frown.

“I didn’t say that.”

Shien raised his hands in surrender.

Diere’s tone was filled with displeasure, telling Shien that she was in a bad mood.

It couldn’t be helped.

If someone else said these things to Diere, she would simply ignore them.

But when Shien said this, Diere couldn’t pretend she didn’t hear it.

The reason was simple.

“You are someone I acknowledge, someone I’ve entrusted everything to.” Diere looked directly at Shien and said seriously, “Others can acknowledge that man’s actions, but you can’t.”

Shien was speechless.

He knew what Diere meant.

Diere was saying that if even he, whom she had entrusted everything to, acknowledged Aldia, then her denial of Aldia would become a joke.

Of course, Shien didn’t truly acknowledge Aldia.

“I just said he’s not as heartless as you think.” Shien said, “But what he did to you in the past was wrong, and I won’t just gloss over it.”

That was it.

“That’s good.” Diere’s expression relaxed. “Don’t worry, I’ll surpass him soon.”

Diere didn’t say these words with absolute confidence, but with a determined momentum, as if she wouldn’t give up until she achieved her goal.

This wasn’t something Diere wanted to do, but something she had to do.

Shien wanted to say something more, but gave up.

Seeing Diere training so hard for such an intangible goal, Shien felt somewhat heartbroken.

(She clearly wants to be acknowledged, working hard and even risking everything for it, but there’s still someone targeting her in secret…)

Thinking of the Raifurut family, Shien couldn’t help but ask,

“You haven’t encountered anything strange recently, have you?”

Shien’s words made Diere frown slightly.

“Strange things…” Diere murmured, then said, “Not really, no.”

“What?” Shien’s spirits lifted, and he asked quickly, “What strange things have you encountered?”

Diere’s answer to this question was,

“It’s Vivian and the others.” Diere said frankly, “Recently, they’ve been taking me on random missions, as if they’re hiding something from me.”

“I-is that so?” Shien chuckled dryly.

This was undoubtedly because Vivian didn’t want Diere to encounter the Raifurut family.

Diere seemed to have noticed something, but she didn’t say it.

Although this girl was usually silent, her mind was sometimes surprisingly sharp, and her intuition was also keen. Many times, when others were still figuring things out, she had already found the pattern, one step ahead of everyone, just not saying it out loud.

(After all, she’s like Lucy, a lucky one blessed by the Goddess of Fate. It’s normal for her intuition to be sharp.)

Shien thought.

And this thought was immediately confirmed.

“Also, I feel like something is about to happen.” Diere murmured. “As if some evil being is targeting me, making me feel uneasy.”

These words made Shien fall silent.

And this silence made Diere sense something again.

“Are you also hiding something from me?”

Diere stared intently at Shien, making him feel a little guilty.

“…It seems I really need to become stronger quickly.” Diere seemed to understand something. After a moment of silence, she said, “Otherwise, always being protected by others, that feeling isn’t good.”

In the past, Diere had always been protected by Vivian, Lucy, and Relia.

Now, Diere probably also felt that she was being protected by Shien.

This definitely wasn’t what she wanted to see.

She wanted to entrust everything to Shien, let him guide her growth, not be protected by him and live in a greenhouse.

“Um…”

Sensing Diere’s emotions, Shien wanted to say something.

But before that, Diere had already stepped forward and pulled his hand, heading towards the mansion.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Shien asked hurriedly.

Diere simply replied calmly,

“Let’s take a bath.”

These words, which would normally make Shien ecstatic, now made him tremble.

He knew that Diere was planning to use some method to get him to talk.

…Could he withstand it?

For the first time, Shien had no confidence in his abilities.

Chapter 428: [Blessing Oath]

“Mara…”

Shien repeated the name silently in his heart.

He had a feeling that he couldn’t ignore this woman named Mara.

If she was truly the mastermind behind the Cosmos incident, then Shien had a reason to target her.

He hadn’t forgotten that debt.

And this woman was clearly not simple.

“I investigated her, but I couldn’t find anything about her background. It’s as if she appeared out of thin air. She first appeared in the Raifurut household, and I couldn’t find any information about her identity or background before that.”

Harvis’s tone was filled with apprehension and hatred towards Mara.

“But she is undoubtedly a tumor in the Empire, and the enemy who harmed my father, my mother, and possibly my sister.”

This time, Harvis came here to find an opportunity to bring down Mara.

“My father has gone mad, completely bewitched by Mara. He didn’t even ask a single question when something happened to Capeline.”

“He no longer listens to me. If it weren’t for the fact that a group of nobles led by Master Rockto have long been dissatisfied with him and chose to support me, I, the first in line to the throne, wouldn’t even be able to maintain my current position.”

“I know they definitely won’t give me the throne, whether it’s my father or Mara. They’re just recklessly playing with power, playing with lives.”

“If this continues, I’ll probably never be able to defeat them and will eventually be eliminated by them, so I chose to seize this opportunity and come to the Kingdom for help during this husband selection competition.”

Harvis’s explanation finally made Shien understand what he was planning.

Whether it was approaching him or dueling him, it was all just a means for Harvis to achieve his goal.

Because of the relationship between the Kingdom and the Empire, even if he directly contacted the royal family as the Empire’s prince and explained his intentions, it was uncertain whether they would believe him. They couldn’t directly intervene in another country’s affairs and help him just because of his words.

Therefore, Harvis chose to start with Shien.

Firstly, Shien had a close relationship with Lucy and could act as an intermediary for Harvis.

Secondly, by dueling with Shien and displaying his strength before the royal family, he could gain their recognition and attention.

Thirdly, Shien had the backing of a Demon Lord, and Harvis definitely wanted to try and gain her support.

Moreover, dueling with the top candidate in the husband selection competition could deceive the Empire’s spies, making them think that he truly intended to compete. How could Harvis not use such a four-birds-with-one-stone plan?

Shien also understood why Harvis gave him face and did him such a big favor after the duel.

It was all to better approach him and gain his help.

“To be honest, besides you, who just became a noble, even if I wanted to ask other nobles for help, I couldn’t. I can’t be sure if they are hostile towards the Empire, and I can’t guarantee that there aren’t any Imperial spies among them. I also don’t know if they would choose to use me and push the Empire into turmoil.”

Harvis smiled wryly.

“Only you, who just became a noble, have the backing of a Demon Lord, and once rejected an opportunity for ennoblement, can I be sure that you’re not on the Empire’s side, won’t do anything for personal gain, and your hostility towards our Empire shouldn’t be as strong as those nobles in the capital, right?”

The nobles in the capital had almost all experienced the large-scale assassination ten years ago, and their hatred towards the Empire was imaginable.

Therefore, Harvis’s choice to approach Shien first was also a move of desperation.

Coincidentally, Shien also had someone he wanted to protect.

That was Diere.

Harvis believed that Shien wouldn’t just stand by and watch Diere be harmed by the Raifurut family, and since he had experienced the Cosmos incident, he wouldn’t have any good feelings towards Mara, who was highly likely involved in it.

Therefore, Harvis decided to approach Shien first and try to gain his support.

Shien understood all this, but he didn’t immediately express his stance.

“Why does the Raifurut family want to kill Diere?”

Shien decided to understand this matter first.

Unfortunately, Harvis didn’t seem to know the inside story of this matter.

“I only know that this is Mara’s order.” Harvis said, “According to the information I gathered, Mara needs Diere Elvenbein’s corpse for some reason, so when I proposed to come to the Kingdom for the husband selection, she sent Wolram along. She claimed it was to have Wolram protect me, but in reality, it was to have him monitor my every move and take the opportunity to bring Diere Elvenbein back. For this, she specifically stated that she didn’t need her alive.”

This was why Harvis said that Wolram intended to kill Diere.

“Wolram is a member of the Raifurut family and has always been dissatisfied with the family’s relentless attempts to bring Diere Elvenbein back, feeling that his position in the family is threatened by her. Therefore, when Mara gave this order, he immediately volunteered, probably wanting to use this opportunity to kill Diere and leave no survivors.”

This explained why Wolram repeatedly provoked Shien.

It wasn’t just because he was a fool, but also because he knew that Shien was related to Diere, even her protector.

“This time, I publicly declared that I’m not as skilled as you and gave up on the competition. He will definitely think that I’ll leave the capital and return to the Empire soon.”

Therefore, Wolram would definitely make a move on Diere soon, lest he lose the opportunity after Harvis left, and he had to leave as well.

That’s why Harvis said that if he wasn’t mistaken, Diere would be killed by Wolram, by the Raifurut family.

“From the information I received, Mara values Diere Elvenbein very much. Even if Wolram fails this time, she will continue to send assassins, right?”

Harvis looked up at Shien.

“If you want to protect Diere Elvenbein, cooperating with me shouldn’t be a bad thing.”

Indeed.

Knowing that Mara was the mastermind behind the Cosmos incident, Shien knew that he couldn’t let this mysterious woman go.

Not only did she scheme against him and the Kingdom, but she also seemed to have the backing of the Old Demon Faction. No matter how he looked at it, he shouldn’t let her go.

And if Diere’s life was involved, Shien couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Although this matter was obviously extremely troublesome, making Shien want to pretend he hadn’t heard anything and just walk away, dealing with this poisonous consort of the Empire seemed inevitable.

Since that was the case, having Harvis, the Imperial Prince, as an ally wasn’t a bad thing.

The only problem was…

“How can I trust you?”

Shien raised the most fundamental question.

Shien hadn’t completely trusted Harvis yet.

Even though the revelation from the blessing told Shien that the matter about Mara was likely true, it didn’t mean that Harvis was trustworthy.

Who knew if this Imperial Prince had ulterior motives?

Who knew if he would be used as a pawn?

Judging from the intelligence Harvis displayed, his seemingly amiable demeanor might not be his true self, but a disguise. Even after the Empire’s government fell into the hands of others, he could still gain the support of a group of nobles, engage in a battle of wits with Mara, and obtain information so readily. He not only knew about Diere, but also about Mara, proving that he was indeed resourceful.

Just as Lucy said, he had to be careful when dealing with this person.

Harvis naturally understood that he hadn’t gained Shien’s trust yet.

Therefore…

“—In the name of Harvis Ragna, I swear to the goddess who protects me that everything I said tonight is true. If there’s a single lie, I’m willing to accept divine punishment—”

Harvis suddenly made an oath as if chanting a spell, his body emanating a brilliant light.

“Your Highness…!?”

This scene made Rockto, who had been silent, change his expression.

Shien was also stunned.

“You actually made a Blessing Oath?”

Shien looked at Harvis with a completely different gaze.

—[Blessing Oath].

As the name suggested, it was an oath made using one’s own blessing.

Once this oath was made, it would be immediately recorded by the blessing. If broken, the oath-maker’s blessing would instantly disappear, never to be restored.

This wasn’t a small matter.

Generally speaking, only those who committed heinous crimes would lose their blessings and be exiled, or even executed on the spot, by the various nations and races of the human world.

Those who lost their blessings were equivalent to being abandoned by the gods, undoubtedly great sinners, with no place in either the human world or the Divine Realm.

Therefore, losing one’s blessing was something unbearable for any race or individual in the human world.

Especially for an Imperial Prince like Harvis, with his noble status, once he lost his blessing, he would immediately be met with hostility and contempt from the entire Empire. Not only would the citizens no longer recognize his status as a prince, but the royal family would also execute him without hesitation to eliminate this stain.

Because of this, the Blessing Oath couldn’t be made lightly. Once made, it couldn’t be revoked.

Now, Harvis made an oath to his blessing without hesitation.

“This is the only way I could think of to gain your trust.” Harvis smiled at Shien as if he had just done the most ordinary thing. “You should feel more at ease now, right?”

Shien was silent.

Harvis’s actions had resolved the most difficult problem in one fell swoop.

Even Shien had started to believe him and sighed.

“You’re probably naturally suited to be an emperor, Prince Harvis.”

Shien said sincerely.

“This is the greatest recognition I could ask for.” Harvis smiled. “Then, what are your thoughts?”

“Don’t rush.” Shien naturally wouldn’t agree so easily. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “If I choose to cooperate with you, what do you want me to do?”

“It’s simple.” Harvis didn’t hesitate and said directly, “I’ll help you eliminate Wolram and the Raifurut family first, ensuring Diere Elvenbein’s safety.”

“…I see.” Shien chuckled. “So, this is the favor you truly want to offer me?”

“Not a favor, but mutual benefit.” Harvis corrected him. “Since it’s cooperation, we have to do things that benefit both sides.”

In Harvis’s view, helping Shien resolve the trouble with Diere and completely eliminating the threat of the Raifurut family would benefit Shien.

As for himself, it was to overthrow Mara and his father and ascend to the Imperial throne.

And this was something Shien definitely wanted to do as well.

Not ascending to the Imperial throne, but overthrowing Mara.

After all, Mara was the one targeting Diere.

Shien thought for a moment and felt that it was feasible.

To prevent Mara from escaping, he had to utilize this prince’s connections, cover, and intelligence.

Otherwise, if he went there openly, he might miss her.

If he wasn’t worried about this, Shien could directly descend upon the Empire’s capital with Airi, Yulin, and Lilith. Would he be afraid of not being able to deal with a woman hiding in the shadows?

She was the mastermind, and she also had the backing of the Old Demon Faction. Finding her and then following the clues to find the Old Demon Faction behind her was what he should do.

Therefore, he might really have to go to the Empire sometime.

“Let’s deal with Wolram first.” Shien said, “Where is he now?”

“At the Imperial Embassy.” Harvis wasn’t surprised by Shien’s actions and quickly said, “He should still be gathering information on Diere Elvenbein, looking for an opportunity to strike. If you trust me, you can leave this matter to me.”

“Leave it to you?” Shien raised an eyebrow.

“To eliminate them completely.” Harvis said without any concealment, “This time, Wolram brought an elite assassination squad from the Raifurut family. I plan to eliminate them all in one fell swoop, lest we alert Mara and the Raifurut family after dealing with Wolram and the assassination squad reports back to the Empire.”

“There’s also an elite assassination squad?” Shien’s raised eyebrow furrowed.

“That squad shouldn’t have entered the capital yet, but is wandering around the outskirts, waiting for orders.” Harvis said, “I’ll closely monitor their movements. Once they show themselves, it will be their end.”

How ruthless.

It seemed this prince was going all out, even planning to eliminate the Empire’s elites.

But since he had made up his mind to eradicate the Raifurut family, his current actions were just a small start.

“Alright.” Shien nodded. “However, I have one condition.”

What condition?

“I want to personally deal with these guys.”

Chapter 427: “Mara”

“Killed?”

Harvis’s words made Shien’s heart clench.

“What’s going on?” Shien looked at Harvis and asked in a deep voice, “The Raifurut family is Diere’s mother’s family, right? I heard that they valued Diere’s talent and wanted to take her back, but I didn’t hear that they wanted to kill her.”

Therefore, Shien was completely surprised by the news Harvis revealed, which concerned Diere’s life and death.

Seeing Shien’s serious expression, Harvis knew that his information was indeed correct. This Viscount Buztout had a very good relationship with the daughter of the Elvenbein family.

Ordinary people wouldn’t know this. Only someone resourceful like Harvis could find out.

After all, Shien and Diere had never shown much closeness in public. Their relationship was even more hidden than the one between Shien and Lucy. Ordinary people couldn’t possibly know.

Harvis seized on this point and believed that Shien was someone worth cooperating with.

Therefore…

“Let me start from the beginning.”

Harvis considered his words carefully before starting his story.

“Actually, this matter started ten years ago.”

Ten years ago was exactly when the royal capital was attacked by the Old Demon Faction’s [Assassination Branch].

According to Harvis, everything started from that time.

“Before that year, although the relationship between the Empire and the Kingdom wasn’t particularly friendly, it wasn’t as tense as it is now.” Harvis said, “Although the Empire and the Kingdom had fought several wars in the past due to border disputes, those wars were limited to the border and didn’t affect our domestic environments.”

Shien also knew about this.

The Empire was established earlier than the Kingdom.

Because the Kingdom was founded a thousand years ago by the Hero who defeated the Demon King, and that Hero, known as the strongest of all time, was the last Hero. After that, the Hero Summoning Ritual was sealed. Therefore, the Ragna Empire, also founded by a Hero, could only have been established before the Kingdom of Mitra.

However, unlike the renowned Mitra, the Ragna Empire’s founding Hero wasn’t as famous. He might have been very powerful among humans, but he was somewhat inferior to other Heroes, considered among the weakest of all Heroes. Therefore, after establishing the Ragna Empire, within a few years, he was killed by a Demon Lord.

That Demon Lord was Airi.

Airi had killed two Heroes, which was why she was so infamous and feared by many.

Because of this incident, the Ragna Empire, although founded by a Hero, experienced many hardships, not only being criticized by many, but also facing many difficulties.

Shien had heard that during that dark era, as a nation founded by a Hero but having lost their Hero, the Ragna Empire was targeted not only by many demons, but also by many humans.

After all, for the demons, who were extremely hostile towards Heroes, their natural enemies, the Ragna Empire, founded by a Hero, was a thorn in their side. And for other human nations, the Ragna Empire’s royal family was descended from the Hero and carried the Hero’s bloodline. If they could intermarry with them and obtain descendants with the Hero’s bloodline, it would naturally be a great thing.

Therefore, the Ragna Empire was greatly targeted at that time.

Demon forces would invade the Empire every few days.

Other human nations exerted various pressures, forcing the Empire’s royal family to intermarry with them.

To survive that era, the Ragna Empire struggled desperately, not only selling their dignity many times, making the royal family members like breeding stock to obtain support from other human nations, but also striving to gain the attention of the Divine Race, seeking their protection as descendants of the Hero, continuously sending their elites to the battlefield as the frontline force against the demon army, experiencing countless near-death situations.

Under such circumstances, the Ragna Empire barely survived the darkest era and finally became the most powerful human nation during the war a thousand years ago, a true military empire.

But at that time, Mitra suddenly emerged, not only carrying the hopes of the human race and successfully defeating the Demon King, but also establishing the Kingdom of Mitra right next to the Ragna Empire, rapidly developing with the help of the Divine Race and other human nations, and soon becoming a nation comparable to the Ragna Empire.

How could the Ragna Empire, which had gone through so much darkness, be reconciled to this?

This wasn’t just because of an imbalance in their hearts, but also because the location Mitra chose to establish his kingdom was actually the battlefield where he defeated the Demon King.

And the Ragna Empire was right next to this battlefield. What did this mean?

It meant that during the war, they were the ones who stood at the forefront, bearing the brunt of the demon army’s attack.

As a result, as the nation that faced the most enemies and bore the most pressure on the battlefield, not only did they not receive the rewards they deserved, but even the land of that battlefield was taken by Mitra. The Kingdom of Mitra, also founded by a Hero, not only didn’t face any difficulties or criticism, but was also covered in glory, continuously receiving help from the Divine Race and other human nations, rapidly developing and becoming their equal. How could the people of the Ragna Empire not find this irritating?

Furthermore, with their territories adjacent to each other, and both being Hero nations constantly being compared, it was almost inevitable that conflicts would arise between them.

However, Mitra was the hero who ended the war, and the Kingdom of Mitra was treated with courtesy by the Divine Race. The Empire couldn’t openly target the Kingdom excessively. That wouldn’t be justifiable.

Therefore, in the past, the conflicts between the Kingdom and the Empire were limited to a few minor wars on the border, nothing too major.

If it weren’t for this, the Empire wouldn’t have had the opportunity to send Diere’s mother for a political marriage, right?

It was precisely because their hatred wasn’t too obvious.

It wasn’t until ten years ago, after the large-scale assassination in the royal capital, that the relationship between the Kingdom and the Empire hit rock bottom.

Harvis said,

“If I told you that incident ten years ago was actually a spur-of-the-moment decision, would you believe me?”

Harvis said these words.

“A spur-of-the-moment decision?”

Shien was stunned.

“That’s right.” Harvis said seriously, “The Raifurut family is a military family that trains spies, assassins, and elite soldiers. They are highly valued by the royal family in the Empire, and in history, they have been granted marriage alliances with the royal family several times, marrying princesses. Therefore, they also have the Hero’s blood of the Ragna Empire.”

Hearing this, Shien was surprised.

Wouldn’t that mean…

“Diere Elvenbein is actually the inheritor of the Hero’s bloodline from both the Mitra Kingdom’s royal family and the Ragna Empire’s royal family. The Empire’s initial purpose for proposing the marriage wasn’t to have the Raifurut family’s daughter become a spy, but to steal the Hero’s blood of the Kingdom of Mitra, combine it with the Hero’s blood of the Ragna Empire, and give birth to a child with extraordinary talent.”

Harvis seemed a bit helpless.

“It couldn’t be helped. At that time, the birth of Princess Lucy almost caused a sensation throughout the human race. The Empire, which regarded the Kingdom as its rival, was originally ecstatic about Capeline’s birth, but then received this shocking news. It’s said that many members of the royal family felt despair at the time, thinking that fate was playing a trick on our Ragna Empire, not giving us a chance.”

Under the influence of such a mentality, it wasn’t strange for some unorthodox strategies to emerge.

The then head of the Raifurut family was one of them, believing that with the Empire’s Hero’s bloodline alone, they would never be able to surpass the Kingdom, and thus resolutely decided on the political marriage.

Unfortunately, at that time, there was only Ancil in the direct line of the Kingdom’s royal family. The other royal descendants were either from collateral branches, or in the process of fighting for the throne, they went too far and were punished by the former king and Ancil together. Moreover, the Raifurut family wasn’t the Imperial royal family, so it was basically impossible for them to immediately intermarry with the Kingdom’s royal family. Therefore, the Raifurut family planned to start with the Elvenbein family, who guarded the royal family.

The ancestors of the Elvenbein family were originally descendants of the Hero, and some of them had married royal princesses in the past, possessing relatively strong Hero blood. As the first target for stealing the bloodline of their rival country, they were undoubtedly very suitable.

Therefore, Diere’s mother was sent over, and she gave birth to Diere the following year.

“It has to be said that Diere Elvenbein’s birth truly delighted the Raifurut family.” Harvis sighed. “I heard that not only was she talented, second only to the Kingdom’s treasure, but she also possessed a very powerful Unique Skill, possessing astonishing power from birth. Although the Elvenbein family chose to hide these secrets, the Raifurut family’s daughter secretly sent the news to the Empire.”

“Since then, the Raifurut family has always wanted to bring Diere Elvenbein back and valued her very much.” Harvis looked at Shien meaningfully. “Unfortunately, the Raifurut family didn’t reveal anything about Diere Elvenbein’s Unique Skill. Even Wolram, every time I asked him, he would just brush it off. It really makes one curious what kind of power it is.”

Hearing this, Shien’s expression turned grim.

He knew that the Raifurut family must have already known about the “demon” within Diere, which was why they valued her so much.

For the Elvenbein family, Diere’s power was very dangerous, but for the Raifurut family, who specialized in training spies, assassins, and elite soldiers, the more dangerous this power was, the more fascinated they were, right?

They only valued Diere’s power.

In their eyes, it wouldn’t be difficult to use some extreme methods to train Diere and turn her into an obedient tool.

The reason why they wanted Diere so much was now completely clear.

However, ten years ago, the nature of this matter suddenly changed.

“At that time, a woman of unknown origin appeared in the Raifurut family.”

A gloomy look appeared on Harvis’s face.

“A woman?”

Shien also frowned.

“She’s a terrifying and hateful woman.” Harvis said coldly. “She used some unknown method to make the Raifurut family obey her every command, and they even introduced her to the Emperor, my father.”

From that moment on, everything quietly changed.

“My father was completely infatuated with that woman. He obeyed her every word, gradually neglecting even state affairs, allowing that woman to gradually infiltrate the Empire’s government.”

“That woman also framed my mother, causing my father to depose her as the Empress. She then ascended to power and has now become a highly influential figure in the Empire.”

“Because of her rise, my father’s concubines either died or were imprisoned like my mother. The Empire is now practically under her control. Even many nobles who originally opposed her were deposed, less than ten percent remaining.”

“And the Raifurut family is that poisonous consort’s confidant. The large-scale assassination in the royal capital was orchestrated by her and carried out by the Raifurut family’s daughter. Even the [Assassination Branch] was recruited by her.”

Harvis’s impassive explanation made Shien narrow his eyes.

If this was true, then it meant that the poisonous consort Harvis mentioned was the beginning of all the tragedies.

“Capeline and I have defied her more than once, especially Capeline, who, unlike me, doesn’t know how to flatter and deceive her. They are practically like fire and water. If it weren’t for Capeline’s special status, she might have already dealt with her.”

Harvis continued.

“I even suspect that this poisonous consort was involved in the Cosmos incident, because Capeline was almost forcibly sent there by her through some means, and afterwards, Capeline disappeared.”

Hearing Harvis’s words, Shien’s heart suddenly pounded.

(This feeling…)

Shien unconsciously pressed his hand against his chest, feeling his accelerating heartbeat, and suddenly had a realization.

(Could it be that the mastermind behind the Cosmos incident, the one hiding in the shadows and collaborating with [Mirage], is this woman?)

As this thought arose, Shien instantly understood.

This was a revelation from the blessing.

The blessing was telling Shien that this woman was the mastermind behind everything.

“Why did she plan such a thing, targeting the Kingdom?”

Shien asked Harvis.

“I don’t know.” Harvis shook his head. “I only know that she seems to hate the Kingdom very much, especially the royal family. Every time there’s a rumor about Princess Lucy in the Empire, she shows a chilling smile, as if she wants to tear Princess Lucy, or rather, the Kingdom’s royal family, to pieces. Her killing intent is very strong.”

Shien fell into deep thought.

“What’s her name?”

Shien asked casually.

Harvis answered,

“Mara.”