Category: The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 416: A Promise Kept

Soon, the members of Vivian’s squad, chattering around Shien, left with the answers they received from him, each carrying their own thoughts.

Nadue could sense the mixed feelings of these girls regarding the fact that Shien had truly become the top candidate for the Kingdom’s treasure’s husband.

“I didn’t expect you to be the one who ended up with Princess Lucy.”

Vivian sighed.

“Thinking about it carefully, only you are worthy of being Her Highness’s husband.”

Diere didn’t seem to care much, her tone indifferent.

“Her Highness’s husband…”

Lumia looked at Shien with a hint of admiration in her eyes.

“Sob…”

Melika seemed unwilling, but didn’t dare to speak or ask, her face full of grievance.

Watching the four girls leave, Nadue looked at the awkward Shien and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

“As expected, Heroes are always popular with women.”

This was also a common trait of all Heroes, or perhaps, the nature of heroes.

But then, Nadue realized that the girls around Shien weren’t just the members of Vivian’s squad.

Not long after, Shien encountered two more acquaintances in the mansion.

“Back from confirming? The royal family didn’t make a mistake, right?”

Leisha teased Shien as soon as she saw him.

“Congratulations.”

Unlike Leisha, Lasha, as if she had already received accurate information through her own channels, congratulated Shien with an impassive face.

Facing these two, Shien was annoyed.

And Nadue was surprised once again, staring intently at Leisha and Lasha before finally sighing.

“Even they are here?”

Nadue didn’t know how to describe her feelings at this moment.

Nadue naturally knew Leisha and Lasha.

After all, the item that had been hidden in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Mitra was also very important to the Divine Race.

If the Divine Race and the Demon Race hadn’t already privately agreed not to interfere in this matter, Leisha’s crime of stealing that item would have been enough for the Three Goddesses to personally capture her.

“Really…”

Nadue could only suppress her complex emotions and carefully observe the interaction between Shien and the demon master-servant pair.

Calling it an interaction, it was actually just Shien and Leisha bickering, while Lasha watched silently from the side.

After a while, Shien and Leisha finished their bickering and parted ways. Shien continued into the mansion, while Leisha seemed to be heading to the bath.

Nadue hesitated for a moment, then decided to continue following Shien.

Although she was also curious about the demon master-servant pair, in the end, the sense of familiarity emanating from Shien drew her in.

It was this decision that made Nadue finally witness the existence that made her expression change drastically.

This happened when Shien returned to his room.

“Bang!”

The moment Shien entered the room, a small figure pounced into his arms, startling him.

After that, Shien finally saw the small figure clearly, breathed a sigh of relief, and embraced her.

Nadue also saw the figure clearly.

“Lilith…!?”

It was naturally Lilith who had pounced into Shien’s arms.

Seeing Lilith, Nadue subconsciously became wary.

Even though many years had passed, Nadue still remembered that it was this little goddess who had turned the earth into hell, spreading evil aura across the world, creating countless evil beings, driving countless lives to madness, and even sinking continents.

Nadue and the others had gone to great lengths to seal this goddess.

Therefore, upon suddenly seeing Lilith, Nadue couldn’t help but become wary.

But the next moment, Nadue saw Lilith’s lively amethyst eyes staring intently at Shien, filled with emotions and a light she hadn’t seen before.

“Right, Anima mentioned that Lilith has returned and even entrusted her [True Mark] to this Hero.”

Nadue felt both relieved and surprised.

She had never seen such a docile Lilith before, and she didn’t expect Lilith to be so dependent on Shien, much to her surprise.

Of course, if Lilith’s presence surprised, alerted, and astonished Nadue, then the last person to appear was the dangerous existence that made Nadue tense up.

“You’re back?”

A little girl holding a pillow sat on the edge of Shien’s bed, looking at him with dissatisfaction.

Her appearance made Nadue’s heart tremble slightly.

“Airi, the Dragon Demon…”

Her former enemy finally appeared before Nadue.

“She’s actually here?”

Nadue stared intently at Airi.

In the war a thousand years ago, it was this Dragon Demon who had defeated her and Anima.

Therefore, even though she had already known that Airi was currently by Shien’s side, seeing her appear still made Nadue’s expression change.

However, the Hero didn’t seem to care about her dissatisfaction, carrying Lilith and walking straight towards her, then picking her up as well.

“…!”

Nadue covered her mouth.

She couldn’t believe that in this world, besides the deceased Demon King and the other five Demon Lords, there was someone who dared to pick up Airi.

That wasn’t the main issue.

The problem was that Airi, although looking a bit displeased, didn’t seem to resist being held by Shien.

What did this mean?

It meant that not only had he obtained her consent, but he also hadn’t caused her any displeasure.

“Is… is this really the same Dragon Demon from back then?”

Even Nadue murmured in disbelief.

She remembered that during the war in the past, this Dragon Demon Princess had repeatedly ravaged the battlefield with terrifying killing intent and brutality, a synonym for cruelty.

Countless people had been reduced to ashes by her dragon’s breath.

Countless countries and races had been destroyed by her claws and teeth.

Even two of the past Heroes had been killed by this Dragon Demon. After the Demon King was defeated, this Dragon Lord, the King of Dragons, was said to have gone on a rampage for a while. If it weren’t for the other Demon Lords stopping her, the human world would have been devastated. Therefore, Nadue couldn’t believe that this little girl before her, with a reluctant expression but no resistance, was the same Dragon Demon, second only to the Poison Demon in brutality among the Six Demon Lords.

“…Could this be a fake Dragon Demon?”

Nadue even began to doubt.

Under such circumstances, Shien and Airi started their conversation.

…

“I say, what are you so unhappy about?”

Shien looked at Airi, who was sitting on his lap, and smiled wryly, while teasing Lilith, who was rubbing against him.

For some reason, after returning to the royal capital, Airi seemed to be in a bad mood.

“Did I offend you?”

Shien rolled his eyes.

“How could you not offend me?” Airi said with dissatisfaction. “I think you lack self-awareness.”

“I lack self-awareness?” Shien looked confused. “Why?”

“Hmph.” Airi snorted. “You are clearly my person, yet you were so easily captivated by that pretentious princess, preparing to marry her without my consent. That is lacking self-awareness.”

“…So, I need your permission to get married?” Shien’s lips twitched. He stopped teasing Lilith and pinched Airi’s face, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t tell me you really think of me as your subordinate?”

“Not a subordinate, but a possession.” Airi frowned, swatting away Shien’s hand, and said with annoyance, “That’s why I said you lack self-awareness.”

“I think it’s you who lacks self-awareness.” Shien chuckled. “A possession? You might as well say I’m a kept man.”

“What’s a kept man?” Airi’s frown deepened, but she said, “It’s not impossible to keep you. If it’s you, it’s not a bad idea to keep you around.”

“Thank you very much.” Shien said with a forced smile. “So, you think I can’t decide my own marriage without your consent, is that it?”

Airi didn’t answer, but just snorted again and turned her head away.

Actually, Airi didn’t know what was wrong with her. Ever since she learned that Shien and Lucy were preparing to get married, she had been feeling inexplicably irritated.

Her claims of him being her person and needing her consent were just Airi’s way of expressing her irritation.

But Airi was still self-aware. She knew that although she could vent her irritation, she couldn’t go too far.

Otherwise, if Shien really thought she was restricting his freedom, it would make both of them unhappy.

Therefore, Airi wisely chose to remain silent.

Airi didn’t realize that if it were anyone else, she wouldn’t care so much and would say whatever she wanted.

As for others’ thoughts and feelings, what did it have to do with her?

Only when facing Shien would Airi choose to compromise in some aspects.

A dignified Dragon Demon actually compromising over such trivial matters, if word got out, no one would believe it, right?

Shien, not knowing what was wrong with Airi, could only exchange glances with the bewildered Lilith, then he seemed to have an idea.

Although he didn’t know what was wrong with this little girl, since things had come to this, why not coax her?

But was he the type to coax people?

Shien seriously doubted it.

At this moment, Shien inadvertently glanced at the pillow in front of Airi and suddenly remembered something important.

“Right, you haven’t fulfilled your promise to me yet, have you?”

Shien tapped his palm.

“What promise?”

Airi was stunned.

Shien smiled brightly.

“Have you forgotten, Dragon Demon Princess?” Shien said cheerfully, “You said that after we subjugate the Old Demon Faction in the Stalim Duchy, you would let me see what’s under your pillow.”

Hearing this, Airi’s expression finally changed.

Chapter 415: The Only One Not Snatched by the Hero?

Shien, unaware that he was being watched by an omnipresent goddess, used his [Concealment] skill as he headed towards the Buztout mansion.

If he didn’t use [Concealment], Shien was certain that he would be challenged, even hunted down, by countless rivals.

Although Shien wasn’t afraid, he couldn’t just massacre everyone, and since it was extremely troublesome, he wasn’t in the mood to play mind games with these destined-to-be-losers. Therefore, to avoid trouble, he simply avoided all crowds.

Nalue, silently following Shien, was initially puzzled by this, but after observing the situation in the royal capital, she suddenly realized with surprise.

“So, he’s going to marry the Goddess of Fate’s favorite?”

They were truly a good match.

One was a Hero from another world, the other was the only princess in countless years who possessed the qualifications to become a Hero in this world. Their union was undoubtedly a good thing.

As one of the highest-ranking members of the Divine Race, Nadue habitually considered problems from the perspective of the leader of the human race and realized that this matter was worth supporting for the entire human race, and even the Divine Race.

“In the future, these two will definitely become the trump cards of the human race. Even if they can’t match Mitra, they won’t be inferior to us or the Demon Lords.”

“At that time, combining the strength of the Divine Race and the human race, along with the power of two Holy Swords, we will no longer be at a disadvantage against the Demon Race.”

“Moreover, the children born from the union of two Heroes will definitely have extraordinary talent and potential, right?”

Nadue realized that this might be a good opportunity to enhance the overall strength of the human race from a racial perspective.

Of course…

“Lildas will probably be heartbroken.”

Nadue chuckled.

As the Three Goddesses, also among the first gods born, Lildas, Anima, and Nadue were like sisters, sharing no secrets.

Therefore, Nadue knew very well that Lildas valued Lucy even more than the Heroes she had guided and blessed in the past.

Firstly, Lucy’s potential was truly extraordinary. If she grew smoothly, it was foreseeable that she would one day rival, even surpass, Mitra.

Secondly, unlike Heroes summoned from another world, Lucy was born in this world, attracting Lildas’s attention and blessing from the moment she was born, and had been continuously protected and watched over by Lildas for more than ten years.

Moreover, Lucy had been universally loved since childhood, her performance in all aspects flawless, and her Unique Skill was so special that even the Divine Race happily considered this descendant of the Hero as one of their own. Therefore, Lildas treated Lucy as her own daughter.

If it weren’t for this, how could Lucy go to the Divine Realm whenever she wanted and meet the strongest goddess in the three realms whenever she pleased?

That princess was truly blessed. It wasn’t a metaphor or an exaggeration, but a true fact.

As a result, the daughter she regarded as her own was about to get married without her knowing. It was easy to imagine how heartbroken the Goddess of Fate would be.

“I’ll comfort Lildas later. Anyway, she still has another daughter she regards as her own.”

Nalue chuckled and continued to follow Shien, returning to the Buztout mansion.

Upon arriving at the Buztout mansion, Nadue was surprised again.

“Roar!”

With a roar, a huge black shadow descended from the sky and landed before Shien.

“A dragon?”

Nadue was surprised.

“He actually has such a high-level dragon?”

Clearly, Nadue saw through Yulin’s level and strength.

“This dragon, if it were in the Demon Race, once successfully cultivated to the point of transforming into a human, would probably become the strongest demon below the Demon Lords, right?”

Nadue looked at Yulin with admiration.

Under Nadue’s gaze, Shien greeted Yulin, stroking her lowered head in an intimate interaction between master and servant, before instructing Yulin to continue guarding the courtyard and entering the mansion himself.

Nadue followed Shien into the mansion and saw more people who surprised her.

First were the members of Vivian’s squad, who seemed to be waiting for Shien’s return. As soon as they saw him enter, they swarmed around him.

“How did it go?”

“Did you meet the princess?”

“Is the… husband selection confirmed?”

“Mr. Shien…”

The members of Vivian’s squad gathered around Shien, chattering and asking questions, making Shien stammer and chuckle awkwardly.

It was understandable that Nadue was surprised by the appearance of Vivian’s squad.

“Isn’t that Lildas’s other daughter?”

Nadue’s gaze fell on Diere, who was standing quietly at the side, seemingly silent, but her eyes never left Shien.

As far as Nadue knew, this girl was another human blessed by Lildas, the Goddess of Fate. Although not as astonishingly talented as Lucy, she possessed a very powerful Unique Skill and wasn’t lacking in talent herself, which was why Lildas decided to bestow her blessing.

If Lucy was the well-behaved and perfect “eldest daughter” in all aspects, then Diere was the somewhat troubled and endearing “youngest daughter.”

Therefore, Lildas also paid close attention to this “youngest daughter.”

Unexpectedly, this rumored “youngest daughter” was also by the Hero’s side, and her gaze seemed a bit unusual.

“Could it be…”

Nadue felt strange and mourned for Lildas in her heart.

“It’s a pity, Lildas. Daughters are destined to be married off.”

Nadue could already imagine the scene of the Goddess of Fate crying in grievance.

However, among those present, Diere wasn’t the only special one.

“So she’s also here?”

Nadue looked at Vivian, who was smiling gently, as if watching over everyone, including Shien, and sighed in her heart.

Nadue wasn’t unfamiliar with Vivian.

No, it should be said that she wasn’t unfamiliar with her “past.”

“I’m glad to see you’re still in the Kingdom, Vivian.”

Nadue smiled, then as if suddenly noticing something, looked at Melika, who was beside Vivian, with surprise.

Melika seemed to be sulking, looking somewhat aggrieved, but her gaze towards Shien was similar to Diere’s.

Since Melika was an elf, Nadue couldn’t help but feel a sense of affection when she saw her.

After all, elves born from nature could be considered her children, and Nadue naturally loved her children.

However…

“This child seems a bit unusual.”

Nadue could sense that magic power was constantly emanating from the atmosphere around Melika, flowing into her body, improving her elven body and continuously enhancing her magic power.

Under such circumstances, Melika’s magic power had already reached an unprecedented level, surpassing many high-level demons.

In terms of magic power alone, even among the entire Elven Race, Melika could probably rank among the top five now, right?

If this improvement continued, her future would be limitless.

“Is it because of the Hero, who has the world’s protection?”

Nadue immediately guessed the reason and looked at Melika with joy.

“If this child can continue to grow by the Hero’s side…”

Just thinking about it made Nadue want to appear and personally bestow her blessing upon Melika.

The Three Goddesses rarely bestowed their blessings on others.

Because bestowing a blessing was equivalent to offering protection, and as the highest-ranking members of the Divine Race, they naturally had to carefully choose their recipients.

But there were very few humans worthy of the Three Goddesses’ blessings. In the past, only Heroes could definitely receive their blessings. It was extremely difficult for ordinary beings in the human world.

Therefore, when Lildas, the Goddess of Fate, suddenly gained two blessed ones with extraordinary potential, she was extremely proud, and Nadue and Anima were very envious.

If humans weren’t under Lildas’s jurisdiction, the other two goddesses would have fought for them.

Unfortunately, the Three Goddesses had already agreed that besides Heroes, the right to bless beings in the human world was based on their respective domains, not equally distributed.

In other words, if an astonishingly talented human appeared, it would be Lildas who bestowed the blessing. If an astonishingly talented beastman appeared, it would be Anima.

Naturally, Nadue’s blessing recipients were elves.

However, although elves were naturally born with magic, their numbers were few, their lifespans long, their population small, and their birth rate pitifully low. Nadue hadn’t found a worthy recipient of her blessing in a thousand years.

It was easy to imagine how delighted Nadue was by Melika’s appearance.

However…

“Is this another child taken by the Hero?”

Looking at Melika’s gaze towards Shien, Nadue’s feelings became complicated.

“Forget it, following the Hero will only benefit this child, and she’s not yet worthy of my blessing. We’ll see how much she can improve in the future.”

Nadue put aside her worries and chuckled.

“If I really give this child my blessing in the future, then both Lildas’s and my blessed ones will be the Hero’s women.”

“Anima will probably laugh at us.”

“Speaking of which, Anima also met the beastmen saintess during her descent and felt that she had good talent. She already intends to nurture her and bestow her blessing in the future.”

“At that time, that saintess will probably be the only blessed one among the Three Goddesses who wasn’t snatched by the Hero.”

Nadue chuckled.

…

“Achoo!”

In the ruins of Cosmos, Elise, who was settling her people and preparing to pursue Capeline and the mastermind with the beastmen priests, suddenly sneezed cutely.

“Ugh, why do I feel like someone mentioned me?”

Elise covered her mouth and nose, thinking to herself.

“Could it be that jerk?”

As she thought about this, Elise couldn’t help but blush.

The scene of him holding her in the storm of evil aura, wielding the shining Holy Sword, was still vivid in her mind.

Chapter 414: Not a Satisfying Fight

As Shien, Lucy, and Lia chatted idly, the sky gradually darkened.

By evening, Shien stood up to take his leave and left Lucy’s bedroom.

Lucy watched Shien’s retreating figure, the reluctance on her face hard to conceal.

This made Lia, who was at the side, repeatedly reassess her impression of her sister.

Since confirming the relationship between Shien and Lucy, Lia had been constantly reevaluating her understanding of Lucy.

She had never imagined that one day, Lucy would show such a vulnerable, lovestruck side.

But it had to be said that compared to her perfect past self, this Lucy felt more real.

This made Lia realize that her sister had changed, and that she truly loved Shien.

“Sigh…”

Lia subconsciously wanted to sigh, but quickly stopped herself, shaking her head and trying to dispel the envy and even slight jealousy in her heart.

At this point, Lia no longer wanted to feel jealous of Lucy.

That would make her feel like her past self, without any growth.

(The Kingdom has already decided that I’m the next heir to the throne. Since that’s the case, I should also focus on my own matters.)

Lia was preparing to study statecraft and kingly duties more diligently.

Although, as a direct descendant of the royal family, Lia had been studying the way of the king, otherwise she wouldn’t be so adept at handling government affairs, but Lia had always felt that the throne would belong to Lucy, so she studied, but didn’t put much effort into it.

But now it was different.

(I have to work harder than before.)

Lia gradually filled her heart with this thought.

This was also to be able to resist the Lucica family in the future and prevent them from manipulating her and the Kingdom’s government.

Of course, Lia didn’t realize that thinking this way was, to a certain extent, also accepting her fate in terms of her own marriage.

(I’m not Lucy after all.)

Lia felt bitter in her heart, but she calmly roused Lucy, who was still feeling reluctant, and teased her.

…

On the other side, Shien also left Lucy’s bedroom with some reluctance.

It couldn’t be helped.

“I didn’t even finish…”

Shien muttered words that would make people want to strangle him, sighing as he walked out of the bedroom.

He didn’t notice that a pair of eyes had already started to focus on him.

…

“Is that the Hero?”

In a realm imperceptible to others, Nadue looked at Shien walking within the royal palace, her eyes filled with intense curiosity.

This goddess had finally arrived in the human world, found Shien, and started to observe him.

No one noticed her presence.

Even Shien didn’t realize that a pair of curious eyes were already fixed on him.

Because Nadue had used her power to merge with nature.

Now, she was nature, and nature was her.

Under such circumstances, the beings within nature couldn’t perceive Nadue’s existence.

Nalue could be the atmosphere, a speck of dust on the ground, a drop of dew, a gentle breeze, or a ray of sunlight. She was a true spirit of nature. Unless someone directly launched a devastating attack on this part of nature, Nadue was nature itself, undetectable and untouchable.

In this state, Nadue could easily borrow the power of nature, and even extend her vision to the entire natural world, monitoring every corner of the world.

Therefore, Nadue could observe Shien like this without anyone noticing, without any worry of being discovered.

It could be said that once Nadue entered this state, as long as she didn’t attack, no one could detect her presence.

Including the Six Demon Lords and the other two Great Goddesses.

Therefore, in terms of stealth, mobility, and observation conditions, Nadue was undoubtedly the strongest in the three realms.

As long as she was willing, she could easily go anywhere, evade anyone’s sight, and monitor anyone.

In the war a thousand years ago, before the final battle, it was Nadue who was responsible for gathering intelligence on the Demon Race, finding the location of the Demon King and the Demon Lords, and learning about the deployment of the demon army, allowing the Divine Race and the human race to formulate a complete strategic plan.

Otherwise, the Six Demon Lords wouldn’t have been targeted and defeated individually by the various strong figures of the Divine Race and the human race, and even the Demon King wouldn’t have fallen to the combined forces of the Hero and the Supreme God.

In other words, in the war a thousand years ago, the Goddess of Nature’s contribution to the victory of the Divine Race and the human race was second only to the Hero’s.

In the past, Sara had also been troubled by Nadue’s power. Since she didn’t know when Nadue would be by her side, silently watching her, Sara had often engaged in a battle of wits against thin air, just to guard against the Goddess of Nature’s prying eyes.

Under such circumstances, Nadue wasn’t worried about being discovered by Shien at all, but instead boldly approached him, following him closely and observing him from a close distance.

“Huh?”

Upon approaching, Nadue suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise.

Because she discovered that there was a very strong sense of familiarity emanating from Shien.

It was an aura that was close to nature, even causing nature to feel close to him.

No, not just nature, but the entire world seemed to be drawn to him.

“The world’s protection…?”

Nadue revealed an incredulous expression.

Although nature was a part of the world, it was only a part.

As the embodiment of nature, Nadue had seen beings close to nature before.

The elves, for example, were close to nature and were even born from it.

Although the Goddess of Life played a part in this, her power contributing to the birth of the elves, the elves were still children of nature, strictly speaking, considered Nadue’s children.

Therefore, Nadue was the only god worshipped by the elves, just as Anima was the only god worshipped by the beastmen, and Lildas, the Goddess of Fate, was responsible for guiding humans. The three goddesses were each responsible for one of the three human races.

Moreover, there were also Heroes in the past who received Nadue’s blessing, gaining the protection of nature and becoming beings close to nature. A being close to nature wasn’t rare for Nadue.

But the world’s protection was different.

“The world is the domain of Goddess Omniis, created by the Supreme God. Logically speaking, there shouldn’t be anyone who can receive the world’s protection…”

Unless…

“He received Goddess Omniis’s blessing…?”

Nadue’s gaze towards Shien changed.

As one of the highest-ranking members of the Divine Race, Nadue naturally knew what the appearance of the Supreme God’s blessing meant.

It was a blessing that even past Heroes couldn’t obtain, a blessing that no one had ever possessed.

“The Mother Goddess has no interest in the mortal world, so she has never bestowed her blessing on anyone, nor will she…”

Moreover, the Supreme God had been slumbering for a thousand years. It was impossible for her to suddenly wake up, summon a Hero, and bestow her blessing.

There was no need for that, right?

In that case, there was only one possibility for a Hero to receive the Supreme God’s blessing.

That was, when the Divine Race faced a crisis of extinction, through the Hero Summoning Ritual, the last Hero of this era would be summoned, and this Hero would receive the Supreme God’s blessing, becoming the savior of the Divine Race and the world.

That was the last bit of mercy and hope the Supreme God gave to this world.

Now, a Hero carrying mercy and hope had suddenly appeared. Did this mean that the Divine Race was facing an existential crisis?

“But who activated the Hero Summoning?”

Even if they wanted to summon the last Hero, a goddess had to preside over the ritual.

“Moreover, the vast magic power required for the ritual is directly drawn from the world. If it was activated, it would definitely cause anomalies throughout the Divine Realm.”

But so far, there had been no anomalies in the Divine Realm, let alone an existential crisis, not even a sign of it, everything was peaceful.

“What in the world is going on?”

Nadue couldn’t understand.

However, Nadue knew very well that Shien’s appearance was definitely not a coincidence.

Something big was likely happening in secret.

“And this Hero is the center and key to it all.”

Understanding this, the curiosity in Nadue’s eyes turned into seriousness.

At this moment, Nadue made up her mind.

“I have to stay by his side and observe him closely.”

Only in this way could she gradually uncover the truth.

“This is Anima’s purpose for telling me about this, right?”

Clearly, Anima had also sensed something and realized Shien’s importance.

“It seems I’ll have to deal with this Hero for a long time.”

However, only she would know about this interaction.

As she thought about this, Nadue subconsciously followed Shien closely.

And the more she followed, the closer Nadue couldn’t help but get.

The aura of being close to the world around Shien had a natural attraction for Nadue, the Goddess of Nature.

That feeling…

“It’s like being by Mother Goddess’s side…”

Nadue felt both nostalgic and intoxicated.

…

At the same time, in a corner of the Divine Realm, inside a temple, Nien frowned, looking at the screen before her.

On the screen, Shien was walking alone on the path within the royal palace, without anyone by his side.

But Nien knew that there was actually a second person following Shien, observing him.

Yes.

Nien had discovered Nadue, the Goddess of Nature, who shouldn’t have been discovered by anyone.

Nadue would never have imagined that there was someone in this world who could detect her.

Nien murmured,

“As expected, the Divine Race has started to target Shien.”

This wasn’t unexpected for Nien.

Nien knew very well that once Shien’s identity as the Hero was exposed, the Divine Race would definitely not ignore him.

However…

“Why the Goddess of Nature of all people?”

Nien was amused.

Possessing the world’s protection, the Supreme God’s blessing, Shien had a natural attraction for the Goddess of Nature.

“It seems the Divine Race’s most popular and perfect goddess is about to suffer.”

Nien was happy to see this.

Seeing the Divine Race suffer a loss was also a form of amusement for Nien.

However, the fact that her Hero was being targeted by another vixen made Nien unhappy.

“Forget it, she can only have what’s left over.”

“However, I can’t casually summon Shien anymore, lest that Goddess of Nature discover it.”

“Hmm, I need to plan this carefully.”

Chapter 413: “Do I Look Like That Kind of Person?”

The atmosphere between Shien and Ancil completely changed.

It became like a father-in-law chatting with his son-in-law, very harmonious and enjoyable, exchanging all sorts of trivial matters.

Originally, Shien and Ancil shouldn’t have had much in common, but they were about to become family.

Therefore, their conversation naturally shifted to Lucy, chatting about various things related to her.

Although it was a chat, it was more like a competition.

It started with Shien’s casual remark,

“I understand Lucy very well, better than anyone. You don’t have to worry about me bullying her.”

These words, for some reason, sparked Ancil’s competitive spirit.

“Are you saying you understand Lucy better than I, her father, do?”

With this statement as a starting point, Ancil began to talk endlessly about Lucy.

From Lucy’s birth, to her childhood, and then to her growing up, Ancil recounted various interesting stories from Lucy’s past seventeen years, becoming more and more enthusiastic.

This made Shien certain.

“This guy is definitely a daughter-con. “

This was Shien’s firm conclusion when he learned that Ancil had an entire warehouse of magic tools containing recordings of Lucy’s growth at various stages, essentially photos.

Honestly, Shien wanted them.

According to Ancil, Lucy was beautiful now, but she was even more adorable as a child, universally loved. The title of “Kingdom’s Treasure” initially came from this world-class cuteness.

“You can’t imagine how adorable someone can be. I even suspect that the Divine Race wants Lucy to become a resident of the Divine Realm because those goddesses were captivated by her cuteness.”

A dignified king actually said such foolish things to Shien.

But it had to be said that because of Ancil’s constant praise, Shien was truly curious and intrigued.

There were quite a few cute girls around Shien.

Airi was an incredibly cute little girl, right?

Lilith was also explosively cute.

With two such adorable girls around him, Shien was really curious about how cute Lucy, known as the most beautiful woman in the human world, was as a child.

Therefore, after some verbal sparring, Shien finally persuaded Ancil to lend him Lucy’s childhood “photo album.”

“Remember, it’s a loan. You have to return it to me later.”

Ancil repeatedly reminded Shien as he handed him the crystal-like tool.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Do I look like someone who borrows things and doesn’t return them?”

Shien assured Ancil, then quickly pocketed the crystal tool, which would never return to Ancil’s hands again.

Ancil felt a sense of melancholy, as if his treasure would never return, repeatedly reminding and warning Shien.

Shien nodded seriously, letting his words go in one ear and out the other, his heart already flying to the “photo album,” eager to go back and enjoy it.

After that, Shien finally managed to escape Ancil, leaving under his and Aldia’s gazes.

The foolish father expression on Ancil’s face finally disappeared.

“What do you think, Aldia?”

Ancil watched Shien’s retreating figure and asked Aldia.

“I can sense that he wasn’t lying.”

Aldia replied calmly.

“Really?” Ancil murmured. “So, you think I can trust him?”

“That’s just my opinion.” Aldia said with an impassive face. “I’m just a warrior, so I might not have considered everything.”

“But a pure warrior like you often has intuition and judgment far exceeding ordinary people.” Ancil didn’t underestimate Aldia and smiled. “Since you say he can be trusted, I’ll trust your judgment.”

“It’s my honor.” Aldia lowered his head slightly. “Then, Your Majesty, are you going to fully support Viscount Buztout in the husband selection?”

“Yes.” Ancil said, seemingly reluctant. “Since Lucy has taken a liking to him, then even for her sake, I have to fully support that boy.”

“Indeed.” Aldia nodded. “Your Majesty truly dotes on Princess Lucy.”

“…Because of Lucy’s special status, I can fully support her relationship as a father.” Ancil was silent for a moment, then smiled wryly and murmured, “If I could, I’d really like to fully support my other daughter like this.”

Aldia remained silent.

As Ancil’s knight, Aldia knew very well that compared to Lucy, the situation with Ancil’s other daughter was more serious.

As royal princesses, they should have lost a lot of freedom while gaining power unattainable by ordinary people.

Being born into the royal family was sometimes unfortunate.

But because of Lucy’s unique gifts, she had cleared away all the misfortunes that might have befallen her with her outstanding performance.

This was her ability, her strength.

But there was only one person like Lucy in a thousand years.

Therefore, all the misfortunes would be borne by her sister, who couldn’t be as outstanding.

…

Meanwhile, Shien returned to Lucy’s bedroom.

Lucy and Lia seemed to be waiting for him. Seeing him return, they immediately asked him about the meeting.

Shien didn’t hide anything and told them everything about his conversation with Ancil.

This revelation surprised both sisters.

“You’re saying Father has already decided to pass the throne to me?”

Lia couldn’t believe her ears.

“That’s wonderful!”

Lucy beamed.

Shien shrugged and said to them, “It’s not hard to understand. Just as I said, Lucy will definitely be trained as a Hero, and she shouldn’t be burdened with the throne and national affairs. Since that’s the case, passing the throne to you, her older sister, is only natural.”

Lia’s expression turned complicated.

She didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.

Gaining the throne seemed like a great blessing, but if this throne fell into her hands because others didn’t want it, and she was just a backup heir, then it wasn’t something to be happy about.

“Don’t overthink it. That’s just asking for trouble.” Shien said to Lia. “This kind of situation only happens once in a thousand years. At least you’re not a loser, right?”

“Yeah, Sister Lia.” Lucy was also a bit worried that her sister would overthink it. “You have the talent to be queen. The Kingdom’s leadership made this decision because they recognize this.”

This was the truth.

If Lia didn’t have the talent to be queen, then even if Lucy didn’t inherit the throne, it wouldn’t fall to her.

Although there were only Lucy and Lia in the direct line of the royal family this generation, the king didn’t only have two children.

Shien only learned after becoming a noble that although Ancil only had one official wife, he had seven concubines.

His official wife only gave birth to Lia and Lucy, then because of illness, lived in the temple year-round, firstly to recuperate, secondly to cultivate her mind and body, and thirdly to receive treatment from the high-level healing magic of the temple priests. In Shien’s past life terms, she had basically become a nun and rarely appeared in the palace.

The seven concubines gave birth to a total of eighteen children, so Lia and Lucy actually had eighteen half-siblings.

However, because the children of concubines didn’t have the right to inherit the throne, and wouldn’t be granted the title of Duke in the future when the king of their generation was chosen (only the children of the official wife had the right to inherit the throne, and if they didn’t become the monarch, they would receive the title of Duke), they were destined to be insignificant collateral branches.

According to the Kingdom’s laws, they could use the royal family’s influence to seek their own paths, either becoming knights or striving to become high-ranking officials of the Kingdom. Their future was guaranteed by the royal family.

But as members of the collateral branches, if they wanted to obtain a noble title, they could only rely on their own efforts, or if one day, something happened to all the direct descendants of the royal family, then they would have the opportunity to be promoted and gain the right to inherit the throne.

This situation also applied to nobles.

The children of the official wife had the right to inherit the title. The winner would ascend, and the loser would be sent to the frontier, receiving some high-ranking position within the family. The children of concubines were all backups. Unless something happened to the direct descendants, they would have to seek their own paths in the future.

Because of this reason, the treatment of the official wife and concubines was vastly different. This was also why Lucy felt that if she couldn’t become Shien’s official wife, even the Kingdom would strongly object, even at the risk of offending her.

The reason was simple: concubines had no human rights or reputation.

Of course, even so, they were still much better off than commoners.

At least, their lives were guaranteed, and they could rely on their families’ support to seek a future, much more comfortable than those born as commoners.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many women willing to become nobles’ concubines, just to enjoy a life of luxury.

Therefore, if Lia truly didn’t have the talent to inherit the throne, the Kingdom might choose someone capable from the collateral branches to compete with her.

Lia naturally knew this, but her feelings were still complicated.

Lia wasn’t particularly against inheriting the throne.

Or rather, in the past, Lia had even hoped to be recognized and ascend the throne.

Now, Lia no longer had such desires.

(If I become queen, the Lucica family will definitely use this opportunity to expand their influence and interfere with the Kingdom’s government, right?)

The Lucica family was also a Duke family.

As a Duke family, it meant they were also royalty, their ancestors having lost in the past struggle for the throne.

Now, with such a good opportunity to return to the capital and the center of power, they would definitely make a big move, right?

Thinking of this possibility, Lia sighed.

However, Lia didn’t show it and continued to talk with Shien and Lucy as usual.

The three of them chatted about various topics related to the husband selection and succession, and it had to be said that it did fulfill some of Ancil’s expectations.

Chapter 412: “I Wouldn’t Even Think About It.”

Shien’s words stunned Ancil.

Not only Ancil, but even Aldia, who had been silent, frowned and looked at Shien.

Shien felt no pressure.

Because he knew very well that Ancil was just testing him.

After all…

“Your Majesty should already know that Lucy doesn’t actually want to be queen, right?” Shien said nonchalantly. “She has no intention of inheriting the throne and even wants to support her older sister, Liadella, to become queen. Surely, Your Majesty is aware of this.”

Ancil was silent.

As the king and her father, he couldn’t possibly not know about this.

Lucy hadn’t hidden this thought, right?

She had also said this many times in front of Lia.

Therefore, the Kingdom already knew that Lucy wasn’t interested in the throne.

Otherwise, within the Kingdom’s high-ranking officials, there would already be many factions supporting Lucy’s ascension, paving the way for her coronation.

“The Kingdom also intends to let Princess Lia inherit the throne, right?” Shien said with a smirk, as if he had seen it with his own eyes. “Although Lucy is definitely more outstanding and talented, you would rather have Princess Lia inherit the throne.”

These words surprised Ancil.

Because Shien was right.

“…The Kingdom does intend to let Lia inherit the throne.” Ancil pondered for a moment, then chose to reveal this important information. “But even Lucy and Lia don’t know about this. How did you know?”

This was why Ancil was surprised.

Except for the core members of the Kingdom’s leadership, no one knew that Ancil had already decided on Lia as his heir.

Others didn’t know about this and even thought that Lucy would be the one to inherit the throne.

The reason was simple, just as Shien said, Lucy was definitely more outstanding and talented.

Therefore, naturally, many people thought that Lucy was the most likely candidate to become queen.

But those who thought this way were actually limited by their own perspectives.

They only saw the issue of succession within a single kingdom, but didn’t consider the entire human race.

Shien, because of his ability to objectively accept reality, saw through the situation.

Therefore, Shien answered directly,

“Because there are many people who can become king, but there’s only one person in a thousand years who can become a Hero, isn’t that right?”

Shien’s concise reply made Ancil look at him with a slightly different gaze.

“I didn’t expect you to have such a broad perspective.” Ancil said with surprise and satisfaction. “Indeed, there are many who can become the ruler of a country, but only Lucy can become the Hero, so we can’t limit her to just a throne.”

Just as mentioned before, the Hero was the trump card of the human race, their strongest champion.

Cultivating a Hero was definitely more important than cultivating a ruler.

Lucy had been recognized by the Holy Sword, possessed an extremely powerful Unique Skill, and was blessed by Lildas, the Goddess of Fate, one of the Three Goddesses. Her potential was limitless, and her qualifications were no less than those of past Heroes, even surpassing ordinary Heroes.

With such a talented individual who could become a Hero, not nurturing her into a powerful being who could intimidate the entire Demon Race, but instead letting her be distracted by national affairs and the throne, would be too foolish.

“The Kingdom of Mitra was originally created by the Hero. If we can cultivate another Hero now, a thousand years after the war ended, it will definitely greatly enhance the Kingdom’s status and influence among the human race, the Divine Race, and the Demon Race, right?”

Shien saw through it clearly.

“Frankly speaking, a ruler can’t compare to a Hero.”

Even if one ascended the throne and made their country prosperous, so what?

A Demon Lord could easily destroy a country.

But if this country had a Hero, a being no less powerful than a Demon Lord, even capable of defeating the Demon King, then not just one Demon Lord, but all six would have to be wary, right?

Therefore, Shien could assert,

“The Kingdom definitely doesn’t want Lucy to be affected by trivial matters like national affairs and official duties, hindering her growth.”

“That would be a waste, a squandering of her talent.”

“So I’m guessing the Kingdom has already decided to let Princess Lia inherit the throne, and Lucy can focus on becoming a true Hero, training and growing stronger.”

“Am I right?”

Shien’s frankness made Ancil look at him with admiration and burst into laughter.

“That’s right. This is the decision the Kingdom made long ago. You were actually able to see through this. As expected of someone chosen by Lucy, you’re even more outstanding than we imagined!”

Ancil seemed to be no longer worried.

“Is Your Majesty relieved now?” Shien asked with a smile. “Aren’t you worried that I deliberately approached Lucy after seeing through this, and after marrying her, I’ll rely on her support to ascend the throne?”

Knowing that the Kingdom didn’t intend for Lucy to inherit the throne, if someone really wanted to become king, they should be tempted, right?

For example, Limgir, once he knew about this, he would definitely be tempted and try even harder to get close to Lucy, marrying her and then, with her support, competing with Lia for the throne.

At that time, as the Hero’s husband, he would surely gain a lot of support, and the Kingdom’s high-ranking officials would also consider how to better utilize the Hero’s prestige and seriously consider the feasibility of this.

In other words, as long as one became Lucy’s husband, inheriting the throne wasn’t a dream.

This should be what Ancil was truly worried about.

But now…

“Since you’ve brought it up yourself, it means you don’t have such intentions, right?” Ancil said cheerfully. “I almost forgot, you’re a man who even dared to refuse a noble title. The throne isn’t as attractive to you as we imagined, is it?”

“That’s the case now.” Shien no longer maintained his superficial respect, reverting to his usual casual demeanor. “I might change my mind in the future.”

“You should keep these words to yourself.” Ancil said, both amused and relieved. “It seems Lucy has good taste. Indeed, someone blinded by power wouldn’t be able to gain her approval. The fact that she’s willing to be close to you and interact with you already proves that you don’t have any ulterior motives.”

As someone with the Goddess of Fate’s blessing, Lucy’s perceptiveness in this regard was unmatched.

For someone like Limgir to approach Lucy was actually impossible.

Such a person would be immediately exposed by Lucy’s revelations the moment they got close.

Before, when Shien and Limgir were entangled, Lucy, despite having barely met Limgir, immediately stated that he wasn’t her type, right?

This was proof.

And the fact that Shien could gain Lucy’s approval spoke volumes.

At least, it could be confirmed that Shien wasn’t someone with ulterior motives.

Thinking of this, Ancil was relieved and his mind began to race.

(Come to think of it, if Shien marries Lucy, with his abilities, he can also make great contributions to the Kingdom.)

Not to mention Shien’s own considerable strength, just the black dragon of Atlus, which even Aldia wasn’t sure he could defeat, could become the Kingdom’s guardian beast, protecting them from many disasters.

Shien’s [Taming] skill was also at such a high level. If he was willing to work for the Kingdom and help them train a powerful monster army, the Kingdom’s military strength would be greatly enhanced.

Moreover, Shien also had connections with Demon Lords and might even be able to gain their support.

Thinking of this, if he and Lucy could help Lia, combining their abilities to support the Kingdom together, then the Kingdom might experience unprecedented growth, solidifying its position as the number one power in the human world.

Ancil became enthusiastic.

“Don’t worry, Viscount Buztout, as long as you and Lucy are in love and you can bring her happiness, the royal family will be on your side in this matter.”

Ancil made a promise.

Clearly, Ancil was ready to invest in Shien.

Shien saw something in Ancil’s attitude and thought to himself,

(As expected, he’s trying to use me. These higher-ups are all so cunning.)

It was precisely because of this that Shien didn’t want the Kingdom to know that he had already made a move and taken advantage of their treasure. Otherwise, these old foxes would definitely seize the opportunity and make him sign many unequal treaties to work for the Kingdom.

(Want me to work for the Kingdom? Then prepare the rewards!)

Shien instantly thought of hundreds of ways to have fun.

But before Shien could speak, Ancil began to list his bargaining chips.

“I know you don’t like troublesome obligations, so I won’t offer you any positions or jobs.”

“I’ll just raise your title. Viscount is still a bit low.”

“Although becoming an Earl, which is above Viscount, usually requires accumulating a lot of merit and developing your family, you’re about to become the princess’s husband. This alone is enough reason to raise your title.”

“How about this, after this husband selection competition, I’ll use your victory as an excuse and promote you to Earl as a reward.”

“Then, after you and Lucy get married, I’ll promote you to Marquis.”

“As for Duke, you’ll probably have to wait until Lia ascends the throne. As a member of the royal family, you can then be bestowed the title of Duke.”

“What do you think?”

The bargaining chips offered by Ancil left Shien dumbfounded.

His future father-in-law was really quite generous.

Chapter 411: “I Wouldn’t Even Think About It.”

Ancil had complicated feelings about Shien.

Although he couldn’t perceive Shien’s abilities like Aldia, even the abilities Shien displayed on the surface impressed Ancil.

Otherwise, why would Ancil go to great lengths to recruit Shien and make him a noble of the Kingdom?

It was precisely because he valued Shien’s abilities.

But Ancil still felt a bit uneasy about Shien being so close to his precious daughter.

It wasn’t that Shien had done anything wrong, but Lucy’s performance had always been too outstanding, too transcendent, making Ancil feel that no man in this world could catch his daughter’s eye.

Including Ancil and Lia, anyone who truly experienced Lucy’s excellence and knew her perfection would subconsciously feel that there was no one in this world worthy of her.

Therefore, seeing Lucy’s aloofness towards the opposite sex, always keeping her distance and never giving any man a chance, the people of the Kingdom felt that this was normal.

Although, as a royal princess, this wasn’t a good thing.

After all, the most important duty of a royal princess was perhaps to be used for marriage alliances.

Lucy’s actions were indeed inappropriate for a princess.

However, no one would make things difficult for her or force her because of this.

Lucy wasn’t an ordinary princess, but someone destined to surpass everyone, follow in the footsteps of past Heroes, and become the strongest of the human race.

Her future wasn’t just as a princess, but as a Hero-in-training, nurtured to become the trump card of the human race and the human world.

With her, the human race might be able to gain an unprecedented advantage in their interactions with the powerful Demon Race.

The Hero was the natural enemy of the Demon Race, their nemesis. If they could cultivate a Hero, it would be a great blessing for the human race.

Under such circumstances, everyone turned a blind eye to Lucy’s aloofness. Even if Lucy didn’t choose a husband in the future, people might feel regretful, but most would think it was only natural, right?

In short, people felt that there was no man in this world who could catch Lucy’s eye and be worthy of her.

Since that was the case, rather than having this perfect, goddess-like being settle for an unworthy husband, people would rather see her remain single for life.

This was probably the same as those so-called fans and hardcore supporters in his past life who hoped that their goddesses would remain single and never have boyfriends, right?

Ancil felt the same way.

Therefore, unlike ordinary fathers who looked forward to marrying off their daughters to a good man, Ancil subconsciously always felt that his daughter would remain single.

Who would have thought that today, such a thing would happen, forcing his daughter to get married?

And compared to the heroes and outstanding figures from all over the world, his daughter seemed to have taken a liking to this unpredictable viscount.

Therefore, before this, Ancil felt that his daughter might be taken away.

Now, this person had directly become the top candidate for his daughter’s husband, proving that his daughter did indeed have her eye on him.

No, it was more than just having her eye on him.

Lia had also said before that Lucy had complete control over this husband selection, freely giving everyone scores and eliminating those she wasn’t satisfied with. Out of a hundred points, only those with fifty or more had a chance to compete.

Under such circumstances, Lucy had already scored all the suitors. Although she hadn’t made the scores public, currently, more than ninety percent of the suitors had been directly eliminated due to low scores, without even a chance to compete. They could only perform on stage during Lucy’s daily public appearance ceremony, desperately trying to show off their talents, hoping to catch Lucy’s attention and improve their scores.

The remaining less than ten percent were basically all renowned young talents, but Ancil, as the king and Lucy’s father, had naturally seen their scores.

As a result, none of these so-called young talents had a score above sixty.

Only Shien had a perfect score of one hundred.

Yes.

Lucy gave Shien a perfect score without hesitation.

And if she didn’t have to consider keeping up the act, Lucy would have directly given everyone else zero.

Those who scored above fifty were basically there for show, to tell others that there were still people competing in this husband selection.

Otherwise, if only Shien got a high score, and everyone else got zero, it would be clearly telling everyone that she, Lucy, only wanted Shien.

In order to avoid revealing their plan, Lucy deliberately gave some relatively outstanding individuals a chance to compete, but she refused to give them high scores. In the end, although their scores were above the passing line of fifty, none of them were above sixty.

This was clearly telling Ancil that Lucy had already set her heart on Shien.

Therefore, Ancil knew that this newly appointed viscount, who seemed to have connections with a Demon Lord, had tamed an invincible King of Monsters, and possessed considerable strength himself, was most likely his future son-in-law.

Understanding this, Ancil wanted to meet Shien.

“You also know that Lucy’s status is special, and she doesn’t want to get close to any man or spend her life with anyone.”

“…That’s because she’s worried about her true self being exposed, right?”

“Despite her appearance, Lucy is actually a homebody. If there’s nothing important, even after finishing her work, she will stay in her room alone.”

“…That’s because she wants to slack off in her room, right?”

“Lucy doesn’t have many hobbies. Besides occasionally painting, we’ve never seen her ask for anything.”

“…That’s because she doesn’t want you to know she likes sweets and gourmet food, right?”

“Although my daughter is outstanding, she has always been obedient. I still can’t believe that such a revelation would suddenly appear, forcing Lucy to get married.”

“…That’s because she’s eager to get married.”

Ancil spoke about Lucy as if he wanted to have a heart-to-heart with Shien, his expression full of emotion, not noticing that Shien’s lips were constantly twitching as he muttered, revealing some truths that absolutely couldn’t be known.

Ancil, unaware of this, continued to speak to himself.

“This must be difficult for you, right?” Ancil said comfortingly. “Now you’re the top candidate in this husband selection competition, and many people are probably thinking about how to defeat you, embarrass you, and lower your evaluation in Lucy’s eyes, so they can take your place.”

“But I know that Lucy has a good impression of you. Even if you’re defeated, she probably won’t lower your evaluation.” Ancil said, half amused, half sighing. “I understand Lucy’s current thoughts. She must feel that if she has to find someone to spend the rest of her life with, it has to be you, her closest friend.”

No, you’re wrong, Your Majesty.

That slacker princess just wants to escape her current environment and live a carefree life. She’s not as noble and self-sacrificing as you think.

Shien found that he couldn’t stop his inner sarcasm.

If he wasn’t worried about disillusioning these people who had been completely deceived by Lucy and had almost become her crazy fans, even shattering their worldview, Shien would really want to tell Ancil the truth, that his daughter was very mischievous.

Of course, if Shien really revealed Lucy’s true nature, Ancil definitely wouldn’t believe him, but would only think that he was slandering Lucy and wouldn’t give him a good look.

(No matter which world, drama queens are always the most popular.)

Shien looked up at the sky speechlessly.

At this moment, Ancil finally revealed his true purpose for this meeting.

“The reason I called you here is actually to ask you one thing.” Ancil looked at Shien and said seriously, “If we want to put Lucy on the throne and make her queen, would you support or oppose it?”

These words stunned Shien for a moment, then he finally understood.

(So, His Majesty is worried that I’ll affect Lucy’s future?)

This was indeed something that needed to be addressed.

Once Lucy ascended the throne and became the queen of the Kingdom of Mitra, then as the queen’s husband, Shien’s status in the Kingdom would be truly second only to the queen.

And that also meant that Shien would become the second most powerful and influential person in the Kingdom.

But Shien had only just become a noble, just joined the noble circle of the capital. If he rose to such a high position so quickly, it was easy to imagine how worried others would be.

Ancil was worried that Shien might be blinded by power and influence Lucy’s succession to the throne.

Ancil was even worried that Shien might make Lucy give up the throne for him.

As the royal consort, once he married Lucy, Shien would also have the right to inherit the throne.

Although his right of inheritance wasn’t high, generally speaking, only when the royal family had only one daughter left would her husband have the chance to ascend the throne in her place. But with Lucy’s special status and abilities, if she wanted to support her husband to become king, it was highly likely to succeed.

It was precisely because of this that people like Limgir wanted to get close to Lucy, right?

It wasn’t just because of Lucy’s beauty, but also because they wanted to reach the top of the Kingdom through her influence.

Ancil considered this, which was why he wanted to test Shien.

Shien, on the other hand, calmed down.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty.”

Shien said without hesitation.

“Lucy doesn’t want to inherit the throne.”

“And I wouldn’t even think about it.”

Chapter 410: “I’ll Give You a Good Kicking.”

Hearing Aldia’s words, Shien was quite surprised.

“I didn’t expect to have such a high evaluation in the eyes of the Royal Knights Commander.”

Shien looked at Aldia with a surprised expression.

“You deserve it.” Aldia said seriously. “Besides Princess Lucy, you’re the only young person who can take my sword unscathed. Before you and Princess Lucy appeared, the person who achieved this feat was thirty-three years old.”

This was why Aldia held Shien in such high regard.

“Originally, I thought that besides Princess Lucy, only the Valkyrie of the Empire could take my sword unscathed in their teens or twenties. The fact that you can do this proves that even if you’re not as good as those two, you’re not far behind.”

“And you’re also able to befriend Airi, one of the Six Demon Lords, and have connections with the Moon Demon, and even tame the black dragon of Atlus. I don’t think this is just luck.”

“Therefore, I’ve made a bold guess that perhaps you have true strength no less than Princess Lucy’s, even if she uses the Holy Sword and her Unique Skill.”

“Because I only felt the same threat from Her Highness.”

“Am I right?”

Aldia spoke at length, unlike his usual taciturn self.

This showed that Aldia truly valued Shien.

However, Shien wasn’t happy about this.

“Are you sure no one else besides me and Lucy can threaten you?” Shien finally said sarcastically, “Have you forgotten the power within your daughter, Commander?”

Aldia’s eyes instantly narrowed.

“…You’ve seen that?”

Aldia’s tone suddenly turned cold.

“I have.” Shien sneered. “What? Are you afraid of this getting out? Worried that others will know that your Elvenbein family has produced a ‘monster’?”

Aldia didn’t answer, just stared directly at Shien.

“It seems you’re more of a threat than I thought, actually surviving after seeing that.” Aldia said calmly. “Unfortunately, that’s a cursed power. I won’t acknowledge it.”

“So?” Shien sneered. “Because it’s a power you can’t acknowledge, you can pretend this daughter doesn’t exist?”

At this moment, Shien made up his mind.

If Aldia dared to say yes, he would attack without hesitation.

Although without unleashing the Holy Sword, Shien wasn’t entirely confident he could defeat this level ninety-eight strongest human, even if he couldn’t win, he would still make Aldia pay a heavy price.

Perhaps sensing Shien’s thoughts, Aldia was silent for a moment.

“I didn’t pretend she doesn’t exist.”

After a while, Aldia spoke.

“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.”

Leaving behind these puzzling words, Aldia turned around and continued to lead the way.

Shien frowned, staring at Aldia’s back, and only after his figure almost disappeared did he curl his lip.

“If there’s a chance, I’ll give you a good kicking and see if you can still maintain that poker face of yours.”

After saying that, Shien followed Aldia.

Shien didn’t notice that in a corner, a frail noble with two knight guards was watching him.

“Is that Viscount Buztout?”

Edel asked one of the knights beside him.

“Yes.” The knight glanced at Shien, then nodded and replied, “He’s the top candidate chosen by Princess Roselucia.”

“Is that so?” Edel looked at Shien again, his eyes filled with envy and jealousy. He whispered, “What a lucky guy, just a viscount.”

Edel was truly jealous.

Ever since he saw Lucy, Edel had been deeply infatuated with her.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life, surpassing even the holy goddesses and pure elves, making Edel, a womanizer by nature, unable to sleep at night, yearning for her.

Unfortunately, Lucy wasn’t someone a mere Duke’s son could touch. His attempts to pursue her had resulted in a painful price.

Even now, Edel still remembered that day, when he confessed his love to her in front of her bedroom, only to be ruthlessly beaten up.

As a Duke’s son, that was the only time Edel had been taught a lesson, and the only time his family, who usually acted arrogantly throughout the country, could only choose to smooth things over, even forcing him to apologize. It was a humiliating memory.

Because of that incident, Edel, who had always thought he could act recklessly and do as he pleased, was truly afraid.

Without his family’s support, without his father, the Duke, backing him, he was just a good-for-nothing who couldn’t do anything. He was naturally terrified and could only tuck his tail between his legs and run away.

But even so, Edel still couldn’t forget Lucy.

It was simply because she was too beautiful, so beautiful that even after being taught a lesson, the narrow-minded Edel couldn’t hate her.

After that, Edel even fell into a strange state for a while, finding no other woman appealing. Only Lia, his fiancée, Lucy’s older sister, could make his heart flutter.

After all, although not as beautiful as Lucy, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the human world, Lia was also a stunning princess, no less beautiful than the goddesses of the Divine Race or the elves of the Elven Race.

Therefore, Edel shamelessly returned to continue pursuing Lia, but because of his disgusting behavior, Lia completely loathed him.

Lia didn’t know that after returning to the Lucica territory, Edel had committed far fewer misdeeds compared to before.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it anymore, but after seeing Lucy, Edel discovered that he was only attracted to exceptionally beautiful women.

And apart from exceptionally beautiful women, Edel was only interested in one type of woman.

That was, women who resembled Lucy.

Whether it was their temperament, figure, or even just their eyes, nose, mouth, or ears, as long as there was even a slight resemblance to Lucy, Edel couldn’t control himself.

Because of this, Edel had even forced himself on a forty-year-old woman who looked terrible but happened to be dressed similarly to Lucy.

In other words, Edel had developed a strange fetish.

This showed how infatuated Edel was with Lucy.

And the reason why he had been violent towards his wives and concubines, causing their deaths, was because they didn’t look like Lucy and weren’t exceptionally beautiful, making Edel feel angry and repulsed, eventually leading him to kill them.

From Edel’s perspective, it was easy to imagine how jealous and resentful he was of Shien, who had the greatest chance of becoming Lucy’s husband.

“Is there any way to break his limbs and prevent him from participating in the competition?”

Edel said these vicious words to the knights beside him.

But the two knights shook their heads without hesitation.

“No, we can’t do that.”

“That’s someone who can single-handedly subjugate the [Assassination Branch], and he even has a dragon. Not to mention us, even the three major knight orders of the Lucica territory combined probably wouldn’t be able to do anything to him.”

The two knights readily admitted their cowardice.

“Useless!”

Edel was furious.

Actually, he also knew that he was asking for the impossible.

Because of becoming the top candidate, Shien instantly entered the sights of various countries and powerful figures in the human world, and his past deeds had been thoroughly investigated.

Therefore, many people already knew that Shien himself was quite powerful, had a dragon above level ninety by his side, and seemed to have connections with a Demon Lord. He wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

If it weren’t for this, Shien would now be facing assassination attempts, murder plots, and frame-ups, not challenges.

It was precisely because many people were wary of the power behind Shien that those influential figures didn’t dare to act rashly and could only prove themselves through open challenges, competing with Shien fairly.

Although Edel was a scum, he wasn’t a fool and didn’t dare to provoke Shien, who had a Demon Lord backing him.

Otherwise, not even the Lucica family, the Kingdom, the human race, or even the Divine Race could protect him.

“Forget it, I’ll continue to focus on Liadella.”

Edel muttered to himself, unwilling to give up.

“Although she’s not as good as Princess Lucy, she’s still attractive to me, much better than those ugly women.”

Edel didn’t dare to target Lucy anymore.

The lesson from the past had traumatized him, and since he had no confidence in winning Lucy’s heart, Edel could only settle for the next best thing and force Lia to submit.

…

Meanwhile, led by Aldia, Shien arrived at the King’s bedroom and met Ancil.

“Your Majesty.”

Looking at Ancil, who was sitting in the room, painting the lake outside the window, Shien curled his lip and performed a noble’s salute.

“You’re here?” Ancil put down his brush, looked at Shien, and smiled as if satisfied. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just casually painting. Lucy also likes to paint.”

Ancil’s words reminded Shien of the first time he met Lucy, when she was indeed painting.

Shien still remembered that beautiful scene.

“Come, sit down.”

Ancil gestured to Shien.

“Thank you.”

Shien sat down before Ancil without hesitation.

Aldia returned to Ancil’s side, guarding him like a loyal knight.

Ancil continued to look at Shien, seemingly more and more satisfied, and smiled.

“As expected of the top candidate in Lucy’s heart, Viscount Buztout, you seem to have become much stronger than before.”

Ancil seemed to have noticed Shien’s growth.

But Shien only felt strange.

This father-in-law praised him as soon as they met. Was he really that nice?

He wouldn’t suddenly pull out a check and throw it in his face, testing his sincerity towards Lucy, would he?

Hmmmmmmmmmm…

Chapter 409: “Take It Easy, Dear.”

Just like that, the matter between Shien and Lucy was dramatically revealed during the conspiracy stage.

Fortunately, it was Lia who discovered them. Although she still seemed a bit unsettled, she agreed to help Shien and Lucy, ensuring their marriage went smoothly.

To facilitate this, Lucy enthusiastically discussed many details with the seemingly listless Lia, preparing to put them into action.

According to Lucy, they could postpone the official announcement of their relationship and make this husband selection, which was actually a fixed match, a bigger show.

Otherwise, if their plan was exposed too quickly, some people with ulterior motives might notice the true purpose.

Therefore, Lucy felt that it would be best to wait until the nobles from all over the world had arrived, creating the illusion that she was truly planning to choose the most outstanding person from all the heroes of the human race, and then announce her decision to choose Shien.

Firstly, this way, the entire human world would know that Lucy had ultimately chosen Shien, making many of the nobles and royalty who had been pursuing her give up.

Secondly, if she made this decision in front of the entire human world, even the Kingdom wouldn’t be able to go back on their word. Otherwise, it would be a huge slap in their own face before everyone.

Lucy’s idea was that it would be best if everyone in the Divine Race, the human world, and the Demon Race knew that she was already taken.

Because if this marriage was widely known, it would basically be finalized. Unless something happened to Shien, there would be no other changes.

Therefore, Lucy wanted to make this husband selection competition as grand as possible.

Of course, seeing Lucy’s enthusiastic and passionate appearance, both Shien and Lia felt their hearts race.

“You’re planning to completely cut off your own escape route, my foolish sister.”

Lia felt a headache coming on.

Lucy’s plan sounded perfect, but as Lia said, it was basically cutting off all her escape routes.

When the time came, if there were no changes, Lucy wouldn’t be able to back out, right?

If things went wrong, this could kill everyone involved.

Firstly, those noble sons, full of expectations and dreaming of marrying the princess, the most beautiful woman in the human world, would definitely be heartbroken.

Secondly, those people might feel unwilling and humiliated, feeling that they shouldn’t lose to Shien, and then challenge him one after another, causing Shien’s death.

Finally, if Shien couldn’t withstand the pressure and collapsed, Lucy herself would be devastated.

Lucy was actually planning such a grand event, which could potentially lead to everyone’s demise, with great enthusiasm and fighting spirit, making Lia feel apprehensive.

Shien also felt that he was doomed.

“Playing such a big game, if I don’t want to get married so soon, wouldn’t I be torn to shreds?”

People said that marriage was a grave.

In the past, Shien always felt that this was just a disguised way for those damn winners in life to show off.

If having a wife and children was like entering a grave, then were single people supposed to just suck it up?

Wouldn’t that be worse than death?

Being single wasn’t good, getting married wasn’t good either. What was the point of living if you couldn’t do anything right?

Why not just ascend to heaven?

But now, Shien felt that, setting aside others, his marriage seemed to be like dancing on a grave, courting death.

“I say, dear, take it easy.”

Shien couldn’t help but say.

But these words were met with Lucy’s pitiful expression.

“You don’t want to marry me?”

The Kingdom’s treasure’s words made Shien surrender immediately.

Alright, he was really entering the grave this time.

Shien felt that he, as the Hero, must be here for comedic relief.

“I’m probably the fastest protagonist to get married.”

After a few hundred more chapters, he might actually have children, right?

They might as well rename this book “The Story of My Quick Marriage After Transmigrating to Another World” or “The Hero’s Flash Marriage Travelogue.”

(__)(-.-)(O)……(-.-).

Things were settled. Neither Shien nor Lucy could escape now.

Lia could only sigh and help Lucy continue planning this grand, deadly banquet.

As for Shien, he was called away by an unexpected visitor.

“His Majesty wants to see you.”

Aldia came to Lucy’s bedroom, requested an audience, and said these words to Shien with an impassive face.

Shien raised an eyebrow, but didn’t refuse.

“Lead the way.”

Under Lucy and Lia’s gazes, Shien accepted readily.

“Princess Lucy and Princess Lia don’t need to come. His Majesty only wants to talk to Viscount Buztout alone.”

Aldia stopped Lucy and Lia, who were about to follow.

“Alone?”

Lia frowned.

“I can’t go either?”

Lucy was even more unwilling.

Unfortunately, their words didn’t work against Aldia.

“Please wait here, Your Highnesses.”

Aldia, like an emotionless machine, said to Lucy and Lia without any courtesy.

Facing the Kingdom’s strongest knight, the number one legendary expert in the human world, neither Lia nor Lucy dared to be too willful.

After all, Aldia was also Lucy’s mentor.

Lucy still had respect for her mentor and remained silent.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Shien, on the other hand, didn’t seem worried at all and gave Lucy and Lia a reassuring smile before following Aldia out of Lucy’s room.

“Will he be alright?”

Lia seemed a bit worried as she watched Shien leave.

Lucy, however, calmed down and regained her usual composure.

“Don’t worry, Sister Lia.”

Lucy smiled at Lia brightly and said,

“He’s much more capable than you think. He won’t disappoint you.”

…

After leaving Lucy’s bedroom, Shien followed Aldia towards the King’s bedroom.

Along the way, they encountered many nobles, who pointed and whispered at them.

This was normal.

As Lucy’s top candidate for a husband, many people were now keeping an eye on Shien. Therefore, when he came here, Shien had used [Concealment] to sneak in. Now, walking openly in front of everyone, it was impossible for him not to attract attention and gossip.

If it weren’t for Aldia leading the way, his expressionless and aloof demeanor deterring many, there would probably be many people challenging or provoking Shien.

The prestige of the strongest human was fully displayed by Aldia.

However, Shien, following behind Aldia, looked at the strongest legendary knight with a meaningful gaze.

Aldia didn’t turn around.

But he seemed to sense something.

“You seem to be hostile towards me, Viscount Buztout.”

Aldia suddenly said.

“Not at all.” Shien narrowed his eyes and said with a smirk, “How would I dare to be hostile towards the Kingdom’s legend?”

“Really?” Aldia said calmly. “Weren’t you just considering kicking me in the back?”

“How could I?” Shien blinked innocently. “It must be your imagination.”

“Whether it’s your imagination or not, only you know.” Aldia still didn’t turn around, as if deliberately exposing his back to Shien. Only his voice came, “You’re hostile towards me because of Diere, right?”

This time, Shien couldn’t answer immediately.

Because Aldia was right.

“It seems you’ve learned a lot.” Aldia continued calmly. “Did someone tell you? Or did Diere tell you herself?”

“Does it matter?” Shien no longer pretended and said nonchalantly, “You just need to know that I don’t like you.”

Hearing this, Aldia stopped.

Shien also stopped, still looking at Aldia’s back calmly.

The atmosphere between them became tense.

Aldia turned around and looked at Shien, his eyes scrutinizing.

“Many people don’t like me.” Aldia said, “But you’re the first to say it to my face.”

“Oh?” Shien said playfully. “Then what are you going to do, Marquis Elvenbein? Attack me like you did the first time we met?”

Shien’s words were met with a serious expression from Aldia.

“I do feel like it.” Aldia stared directly at Shien. “Others think that although your strength is enough to be considered among the best of the younger generation, it’s still not on our level. But I don’t think so.”

In the eyes of others, although Shien had the strength to annihilate the [Assassination Branch], this strength wasn’t much in the eyes of legendary existences above level ninety.

Shien was too young. Although he had fought Lucy, the outcome of that battle had a great impact, but that alone wasn’t enough in front of truly high-level experts.

In other words, many people hadn’t seen Shien’s true strength yet.

During the [Assassination Branch] incident, Shien’s level was still low, and the only witnesses were the group from Larmigion. There weren’t many.

In the Atlus Gorge incident, no one saw Shien use [Aurora Meteor Shower], and Shien had always been with Airi, Vivian, and the others. Others only thought that the Garibaldi family was annihilated by Yulin, the black dragon.

Not to mention the Cosmos incident. Besides the beastmen, who knew the strength Shien displayed?

Only Capeline and Anima, right?

And Capeline was missing, and Anima, one of the Three Goddesses, had returned to the Divine Realm. In short, Shien hadn’t truly displayed his strength in front of others yet.

Therefore, although Shien’s influence was no longer what it used to be, compared to the rumors about other aspects of him, the recognition of his personal strength was still limited.

But Aldia didn’t think so.

“I always feel that you’re dangerous.” Aldia stared at Shien and said in a deep voice, “I feel like you have the strength to threaten me.”

This was Aldia’s impression of Shien.

Chapter 408: I’ve Been Really Restrained! (Voice Cracks)

“—”

Silence.

“—”

Silence.

“—”

Silence.

“—”

Still silence.

In the room, the three people sitting opposite each other remained silent, the atmosphere awkward.

Especially their expressions, which added a subtle nuance to the awkwardness.

Lucy’s face was flushed red the entire time, as if she wanted to find a hole to hide in, her expression incredibly embarrassed, almost wanting to turn and run.

Shien, sitting beside Lucy, seemed quite calm, but only he knew if he was actually feeling guilty.

As for Lia, sitting opposite Shien and Lucy, her face was dark as charcoal, her anger at the man and woman before her evident.

Especially when she looked at Shien, Lia’s murderous gaze and expression were undisguised.

Shien, with his [Enemy Detection] skill, knew very well that this princess was definitely thinking about how to stab him.

If it weren’t for Lucy sitting beside him, blushing, with an expression of “we were both willing,” Lia would have already exploded.

Of course, even now, Lia was on the verge of exploding.

“…Don’t you want to explain something to me?”

Lia’s voice was low and laced with gritted teeth, clearly showing how bad her mood was.

“Sister Lia…”

Lucy’s face was filled with embarrassment and shame. She wanted to say something, but didn’t know what to say, her usual perfect composure before her sister completely gone.

But Lucy didn’t know that the more she acted like this, the colder Lia’s heart became.

After all, she had never seen her sister with such an expression.

That shy and embarrassed expression, like that of an ordinary woman, made Lia feel very complicated.

Lia had never imagined that her perfect sister would one day show such an expression.

And this undoubtedly told Lia that everything Lucy did was consensual.

Her sister had truly fallen, and had even been completely devoured!

Lia didn’t know whether to be happy or angry.

Happy, naturally, that her sister had found someone she truly loved and entrusted herself to.

Angry, of course, because of her sister’s lack of restraint!

“How… how could you be so impulsive?” Lia could only say in a tone of exasperation, “Even if you really like him, there’s no need to give yourself away so quickly, right?”

Lia truly hadn’t expected that her sister, the Kingdom’s treasure, the modern Hero, the most beautiful woman in the human world, would entrust everything to a man before marriage.

Setting aside whether this would affect the royal family’s reputation or Lucy’s own reputation, Lia just wanted to know, was it necessary?

You’re the goddess in everyone’s hearts!

Such a noble, outstanding, and perfect goddess!

With family background, bloodline, talent, beauty, and powerful backing, there might not even be a man in this world worthy of you.

And you just gave yourself away like that?

Damn it!

Lia wanted to curse.

This was also why Lia was in such a bad mood.

If Shien and Lucy had only confirmed their relationship and planned to date and get married, although Lia would have mixed feelings, those feelings would mostly be relief.

But now, witnessing her sister being taken advantage of, the blow, shock, and stimulation to Lia were simply too great.

As a royal princess, being so unrestrained, not even leaving herself a way out, wasn’t she afraid of encountering a scumbag, or accidentally getting pregnant before marriage?

If that really happened, not only would the royal family lose all face, but countless men across the country would be heartbroken to the point of suicide!

Thinking of such consequences, Lia almost fainted.

Lia, in this state, didn’t notice that Shien, who had been silent, had a contorted expression.

Because a hand was pinching his waist relentlessly, almost leaving a bruise.

“It’s all your fault…!”

Lucy’s angry voice reached Shien’s ears.

Clearly, Lucy was blaming everything on Shien.

No, wasn’t this originally Shien’s fault?

At least, Lucy hadn’t thought that she would be taken advantage of by Shien so quickly.

If this beast hadn’t taken advantage of her vulnerability and done that to her, how could she have lost her virginity so easily?

Therefore, Lucy could only vent her embarrassment, shame, and other emotions on Shien.

Shien was speechless.

How could this be his fault?

Was it wrong for two consenting adults to do such things?

Moreover, in that situation, if he hadn’t acted, he would probably be criticized by countless people for being all talk and no action, a standard Liu Xiahui type protagonist, a dense male lead from a light novel. There would be plenty of things to criticize him for, believe it or not?

It was fortunate that it was him. If it were those bulldozers in other novels, they could have already conquered forty girls in four hundred chapters, believe it or not?

Therefore, he couldn’t be blamed. He could only blame the thirsty readers.

He had been very restrained! (His voice cracked.)

As Shien and Lucy secretly bickered, Lia seemed to have regained her composure and sighed.

“Shien, was it?”

Lia looked at Shien, her expression unfriendly. “Since things have come to this, there’s no use saying more. Just give me an explanation.”

Lucy stopped torturing Shien’s waist, and Shien looked up at Lia, pursing his lips.

“What kind of explanation do you want?”

Shien didn’t seem too guilty and threw the question back at her.

Lia was also straightforward.

“Just tell me what you plan to do.” Lia said directly. “Judging from your appearance, you’ve already confirmed your relationship. Lucy now has no other choice but to marry you, so you will take responsibility, right?”

Hearing Lia’s words, Shien almost laughed.

Not because he found Lia’s thoughts funny.

On the contrary, Shien quite liked Lia’s attitude.

No other choice but to marry him?

In his past life, who would take the victim’s side?

Countless goddesses secretly prepared many backups and honest men to take the fall. Here, they only asked people to take responsibility?

Was this another world?

He loved it!

Therefore, Shien didn’t beat around the bush.

“That was our plan all along.” Shien said to Lia with a smile. “Otherwise, what do you think this so-called husband selection competition is for, Princess Lia?”

These words, like a sudden enlightenment, made Lia understand instantly.

“So… you did this to get married smoothly…?”

Lia looked at Shien in surprise.

“This wasn’t my plan, but your dear sister’s.”

Shien said with annoyance.

“Lucy, you…?”

Lia looked at Lucy in disbelief.

Lucy became even more embarrassed.

It was over. She had been exposed. Her sister had discovered that she did all this just to get married.

This… this was too embarrassing!

Lucy was mortified.

Lia naturally got the answer she wanted from Lucy’s attitude and felt even more dizzy.

So, it wasn’t just Shien being a beast and acting too quickly, but also her sister desperately wanting to get married?

You… you’re the goddess in everyone’s hearts!

So noble, so outstanding… (and so on)

Lia shouted inwardly, feeling like she didn’t even know her sister anymore.

“S-so, the revelation about a disaster that could only be averted by marriage, that was also fake?”

Lia, fighting against the dizziness, asked Lucy for final confirmation.

Lucy chuckled dryly and mumbled, “That’s what you said, not me…”

Well, well, a harmonious couple, even their blame-shifting techniques were so similar!

Lia felt like all her excitement, fighting spirit, and hard work these past few days had been for nothing, like a fool.

Was this really her perfect sister?

Had she been switched at birth?

Lia could only press her hand against her forehead, as if she couldn’t hold on any longer.

“S-Sister Lia, come, have some tea first, don’t be angry. I’ll admit my mistake, okay?”

Lucy also knew she was at fault and quickly came to Lia’s side, bringing her a teacup, massaging her shoulders, and giving Shien a look.

Shien was speechless and could only pick up the teapot and pour tea for Lia.

“Have some tea, Sis.”

Shien smiled at Lia.

“Sis?”

Lia finally came back to her senses. Looking at Shien, who was smiling at her, her expression finally softened a bit.

This address of “Sis” already proved Shien’s attitude and was also his assurance to Lia.

That was, he would marry Lucy.

“Sigh…” Lia sighed. “Since you two have this plan, then as long as the outcome is good, I won’t say anything more.”

Lucy secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then, about this matter…”

Shien subtly reminded her.

He was naturally referring to the husband selection.

“Don’t worry, I’ll cooperate with you.”

Lia said with exasperation, making Shien and Lucy finally smile.

The two exchanged glances, one rolling her eyes, the other beaming. It was all unspoken.

Seeing this scene, Lia felt complicated, as well as a bit envious and lost.

So, her sister had already found her happiness.

What about her?

Where was her happiness?

Thinking of the Lucica family, the envy in Lia’s heart turned into bitterness.

Perhaps, she would never be able to compare to her sister?

She was better than her in every way.

Chapter 407: “So, It’s Already Been Plucked?”

“Phew…”

Lia, entering Lucy’s bedroom, seemed to sense Edel’s departure and breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, a bitter expression appeared on her face.

“I should have guessed. With so many nobles and royalty gathered in the capital this time, and the city so lively, how could the Lucica family not come?”

This time, because Lucy, the gifted modern Hero and the Kingdom’s treasure, was choosing a husband, nobles and even royalty from almost every country in the human world had come.

Including influential figures from other races, they wouldn’t miss this grand event.

The reason was simple: this was their chance to gain the protection of a future Hero and a great opportunity to form a marriage alliance with the Hero’s Kingdom. Moreover, Lucy was known as the most beautiful woman in the human world. Almost no one would pass up this opportunity.

Even though many knew that their chances of successfully becoming the Kingdom’s treasure’s husband were extremely slim, as slim as a beautiful celebrity suddenly falling for a beggar, they still didn’t want to miss this grand event.

Because people always had a glimmer of hope.

What if they succeeded?

What if they and the princess hit it off?

What if she liked their type?

This must be what many people were thinking, right?

Moreover, for this husband selection, the capital would be filled with influential figures from all over the world, including many high-ranking nobles and royalty. Even if they failed in the end, being able to befriend and connect with some of these influential figures could bring many benefits to their families, making the trip worthwhile. Every family and every country would definitely choose to come.

Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that the Lucica family, to which Edel belonged, would come here.

They might even intend to use this opportunity to finalize the matter that Lia had been delaying.

No, that should be their main purpose for coming here, right?

Thinking of this, a gloomy look flashed across Lia’s eyes.

Recalling the strange glint in Edel’s eyes when he mentioned Lucy’s husband selection, Lia felt a sense of disgust.

Edel was the person Lia hated the most in her life, bar none.

The look of astonishment, greed, evil, and desire in his eyes when he first saw her was still vivid in Lia’s memory.

And that wasn’t the main issue.

The main issue was that after that, he had been persistently pursuing her, but after seeing Lucy, he showed that same look again, and after being infatuated and stunned for a long time, he actually abandoned her and frantically pursued Lucy. Only after being ruthlessly rejected by Lucy did he shamelessly return to pursue Lia again. His disgusting behavior made Lia lose her appetite for three days.

Moreover, his reputation was extremely tarnished.

It was said that his private life was very chaotic, and he often bullied men and women in his territory, forcing himself on many women he took a fancy to, ruining countless families.

It was said that he had married several wives and concubines, but they were all subjected to his violence in private and died one after another.

It was said that he had even made advances on the wives and daughters of visiting nobles, and after being discovered, shifted all the blame onto them.

It was also said that because of his reckless behavior, many nobles in the Lucica territory had protested and reported him to the Lucica family, the lords of the territory, causing chaos and unrest.

He wasn’t just a spoiled son of a noble family, but a true bully, a scum.

And this scum was currently the only surviving male heir of the Lucica family, as his two older brothers had died in accidents. Therefore, his father doted on him immensely. Otherwise, with his actions, he would have been executed countless times.

And this Lucica family was a true Duke family, responsible for guarding the southern part of the Kingdom, in contrast to the Stalim family, who guarded the north.

Of course, compared to the Stalim family, the Lucica family wasn’t as powerful.

Because the Kingdom’s southern border was adjacent to a small country, which, unlike the Ragna Empire, didn’t dare to openly covet the Kingdom’s territory. Instead, they continuously expressed goodwill towards the Kingdom, seeking its protection.

Thanks to this, the nobles and even the royalty of that small country often “gifted” the Lucica family. The Lucica family, rather than guarding the border, was more like profiting from it. Therefore, their power couldn’t compare to the Stalim family, who truly guarded the border and fought for the Kingdom.

However, even so, they were still a Duke family.

As a Duke family, they were among the highest-ranking nobles in the Kingdom, surpassed only by other Duke families and a few powerful Marquis families.

For example, the two knight guards Edel brought with him today were both above level seventy and were probably the captains of the knight order under the Lucica family.

Sending knight captains to protect his son, and two at that, showed how much the head of the Lucica family doted on Edel, and also the “peace” within the Lucica territory. Otherwise, how could knight captains, as valuable combat power, be free to act as bodyguards for a young master?

But this wasn’t the worst part.

The worst part was that Lia was engaged to Edel.

Yes.

Lia’s fiancé was Edel of the Lucica family.

This wasn’t an engagement arranged by Ancil for Lia, but a childhood engagement arranged by the previous king, Lia’s grandfather, and Ancil’s father, when he was still on the throne.

Since it was a childhood engagement, the previous king didn’t know that Edel would turn out like this. And after Ancil ascended the throne, the old king passed away. The Lucica family then used the excuse that “this was a marriage arranged by the deceased His Majesty, and we should respect his final wishes” to refuse to cancel the engagement.

This reason, it had to be said, was quite effective.

At least, in this medieval-style other world, among influential nobles, it was indeed very effective.

Ancil also found it troublesome.

If there was a reason, then it would be fine, but unilaterally canceling a marriage arranged by the previous king for no reason would definitely cause criticism.

Helplessly, Ancil could only help Lia delay the marriage as much as possible, hoping to find a solution later.

Therefore, Lia had been avoiding Edel, but he kept pestering her, causing Lia constant headaches and annoyance.

As she thought about this, the bitterness on Lia’s face turned into self-mockery.

“I was saying I would definitely help my sister find happiness, but I can’t even guarantee my own happiness.”

At this moment, Lia revealed her vulnerability.

Of course, Lia wouldn’t allow herself to be weak for too long.

“I am the first princess of the Kingdom of Mitra, Lucy’s older sister. Even if I’m not as outstanding as Lucy, I’m still a legitimate descendant of the Hero.”

Lia repeated these words in her heart almost every day to remind herself.

Whether she would become queen and inherit the throne in the future, or what the future held, she couldn’t disgrace the royal family, her father, or Lucy.

“Alright!”

Lia cheered herself up, regaining her usual playful demeanor, and walked towards Lucy’s room with a mischievous smile.

Along the way, Lia naturally encountered many noble young masters lingering in the palace, trying to curry favor with Lucy.

Lia politely declined their requests to introduce them to Lucy and brushed off those who hoped she would put in a good word for them. Then, welcomed by the female knights of the Holy Sword Knights, she entered the inner palace and arrived at Lucy’s door.

Then, Lia opened the door without any hesitation.

“Lucy, I’m… here…”

As Lia entered the room and was about to greet Lucy cheerfully, the scene before her made her eyes widen, and she froze on the spot.

“S-Sister Lia…!?”

Lucy’s voice rang out, filled with panic.

“Holy shit!”

Shien couldn’t help but curse.

The room instantly fell deathly silent.

Lia felt her vision darken, an urge to faint washing over her.

She had seen it.

She saw Chang Wei beating Lai Fu! (A reference to a famous scene in a Chinese movie, often used to describe catching someone in the act of adultery.)

After recovering, Lia closed the door almost instantly with a loud bang, startling the female knights guarding outside.

“Princess Lucy? Princess Lia?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Did something happen?”

The female knights gathered at the door, exchanging glances and asking.

“N-nothing! Don’t worry! Guard the door! Don’t let anyone in!”

Lia’s voice came from inside, stiff and slightly panicked, yet also undeniably stern, making the female knights quickly lower their heads and return to their posts.

Lia leaned against the door, slowly turning around, looking at Shien, who had gotten dressed at some point and was looking out the window, seemingly oblivious to everything, then at Lucy, who was hiding under the covers, only her head peeking out, seemingly getting dressed, her face flushed with embarrassment. Lia’s face darkened.

“You two…!?”

Lia gritted her teeth, feeling enraged, as if the sky had fallen, her heart turning cold.

At this moment, Lia only had one thought.

“So, our family’s best cabbage has already been plucked?”

(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻!!!