Chapter 368: Act 126 – The Conspiracy Behind
“Damn, this is infuriating.” The noble girl kicked the wooden wall of the Tulip Ashes Inn, but immediately winced, raising her sharp brows. “Ouch, that hurts!”
She turned her head and saw a black-haired boy and a young man wearing a well-fitted black suit, with mink gloves and a silver braided adornment on his chest, walking out side by side. Her eyes brightened as she hurriedly asked, “Rono, Count Eruin, what did the Legion Commander say?”
The boy shook his head. “He wants us to be more subdued.”
“Really great,” the girl said, bringing her palms together, her face relaxing as if she just exhaled. “So that means there won’t be any follow-up on this?”
The youth with somewhat delicate features listened to their conversation and gave a half-smile as he glanced at the shorter boy beside him, then turned back to the girl, smiling as he asked, “Miss Faina, what exactly happened?”
Alman knew well that their lady duchess had rarely lost her temper and scolded them knights from head to toe, certainly related to this afternoon’s incident. However, the several knights accompanying him would not defy orders, and if there was any issue, it would definitely fall on the shoulders of this trouble-causing young lady.
It was he who originally suggested leaving to secretly follow Faina; Miss Veronica, considering the Queen’s favor, did not object at the time. Yet, he bore the most blame today; in the end, it was his duty as her guardian that had faltered.
However, Alman was not anxious and instead smiled at Faina.
“Hum,” Faina felt anger rise as soon as the topic was mentioned. “It’s all that country bumpkin’s fault…” She indignantly recounted the entire incident.
“That guy’s pretty strong; Count Cullenz was taken down by him in one move. Even the Imperial Knights are no match for him.” The black-haired boy added, but Rono didn’t take this matter to heart; after all, he was merely an Eruin person. He was more concerned about the scarlet blessing in Brendel’s hands.
“That’s just because the Count was underestimating him. Besides, those noble sons of the Palace Guards are just a bunch of playboys. I think they’re no better than the border knights,” Faina replied dismissively.
“Are there really such geniuses among the Eruin people?” Alman asked with a smile, even though he was also a Royal Guard knight.
“The other side can at least face the Duke directly in combat,” the black-haired boy answered.
“Well, that’s only because the Legion Commander couldn’t unleash his full power there. Besides, that guy has the Sword of Earth, so it’s not a fair fight,” the noble girl said, still unconvinced.
“Be that as it may, any one of us would be lucky just to stand firm under the Legion Commander’s presence,” Rono stated objectively.
Faina glared at the black-haired boy. “Rono, why do you always take the opposite side from me!”
The black-haired boy paused for a moment, then replied, “I’m just stating the facts, Faina.”
To her relief, the noble girl didn’t explode in frustration. She snorted heavily and fell silent.
“I remember the Eruin people haven’t been doing well recently,” Alman stated with a slight smile, speaking softly. “But it seems they haven’t learned their lesson yet.”
“Alman?” The boy turned his head, frowning at his companion.
“Don’t worry, Rono; I absolutely cannot tolerate offending Miss Faina, regardless,” Alman said elegantly.
Faina’s heart stirred; although no one dared to contradict the will of that lady general, Count Alman was a rising star in the imperial political scene, known as the New Eagle of Cruz. She had heard her father praise this young man for his exceptional wit and carefulness, especially being sufficiently alert, making him stand out among youth.
She knew her father rarely praised anyone, but since he had given such high praise, she couldn’t help but think that perhaps he indeed had some methods.
Moreover, at this moment, it was comforting to her that Count Alman was willing to help her; the thought made her feel somewhat appreciative and expectant, glancing at him with a slight sense of admiration.
“What should we do, Count Alman?” she asked. “Even Count Alman cannot defy Lady Veronica’s orders, right?”
“Of course,” Alman replied with a smile. “But there’s no need for that much trouble; there’s no issue with not notifying Lady Veronica about these small matters.”
“But that guy has at least the strength of the Golden Domain; none of us here can be his opponent,” Rono frowned and said. “If we rely on numbers to win, we might provoke the Druids, who pay significant attention to him…”
The black-haired boy didn’t continue, as everyone present understood how serious the consequences would be if Lady Veronica, the Legion Commander, got involved.
“It’s not that complicated,” Alman smiled. “Isn’t the Eruin delegation also here? Since that young man is a noble, he might also be part of the delegation—regardless, matters concerning their own people should be left for them to handle.”
Faina’s sapphire-blue eyes brightened slightly upon hearing this. “Exactly!” The noble girl exclaimed, “How did I not think of that? In front of the Empire, those submissive Eruin officials will have to yield, right?”
She then huffed slightly. “They must teach their subordinates a good lesson!”
“But who will go?” the girl asked again.
Alman shrugged his shoulders; even though he was an eagle-noble, he was also the captain of the Royal Guard, making it unsuitable for him to interact with foreign diplomats.
“I can’t either,” the black-haired boy beside him shook his head. “Royal Alchemists are prohibited from making contacts with foreign diplomats.”
“W-What? You aren’t suggesting I should go personally, are you?” Faina’s eyes went wide, pressing her hand against her chest. “I don’t have any experience in this area…”
“I’ll go.” A voice gently said.
The noble girl turned her head and saw a woman dressed in a purple long dress walking out from the hall—she stood there, replying softly with that one sentence, her demeanor appearing calm and mysterious, standing as if she were a purple flower mandrake growing in the darkness.
The woman smiled slightly, her gaze lingering on Count Alman for a moment.
“Sister Delphine!” Faina exclaimed excitedly, “You’re willing to help too? That’s wonderful! Do you have any plans?”
“Count Alman’s plan is excellent,” the woman in the purple long dress glanced at the young man beside her again. “Besides, Faina has already agreed, hasn’t she?”
“But you’re the daughter of the Chancellor, the Empire’s flower of wisdom. Compared to Count Alman, I trust Sister Delphine more; and besides, it’s well-known that you have affections for the Count. Who knows if you’re just speaking on his behalf? I can’t rest easy about that!”
Alman smiled gently, giving the woman beside him an amused glance before turning back to the noble girl.
Delphine shook her head and softly replied, “In that case, let the Temple of Fire pressure those Eruin people.”
“Oh?” Count Alman slightly arched his brow, looking at the Chancellor’s daughter—who noticed his gaze and looked up, offering him a faint smile in return.
“Temple of Fire?” Faina asked, puzzled. “Will the Temple of Fire listen to us?”
“I just heard that the Eruin man used a spell that seemed like a Heaven-wrought weapon of the Sanctuary,” Delphine said, quietly shifting her long hair to her shoulder. “But the truth is irrelevant; what matters is how we portray it.”
“Good idea,” Alman smiled. “I’ve heard that the leader going to the Temple of Fire in the Black Forest is the priest known as Greedy Amann. As long as we can catch him on a small point, even if he doesn’t die, it’ll cost him a layer of skin.”
“As for the rest,” the young count continued, “we can also try to stir up confusion; this place has many forces, and slight conflicts would not be impossible.”
Delphine nodded.
“Great!” The noble girl also became excited, seemingly already seeing Brendel on the brink of death. She clenched her small fist, as if to vent her dissatisfaction. “Let’s do it, and we’ll take action immediately!”
The black-haired boy, however, was worried about their primary objective for this trip. “Speaking of which, the powers entering the Black Forest are increasing. We, the wizard from Bud, the Temple of Fire, and even the Eruin people, have all come. The Lionheart Sword is clearly a holy artifact of our country.” He expressed his concerns.
“Why worry so much, Rono?” Faina sighed, feeling that her enthusiasm was diminished by this pessimistic fellow. “With Lady Veronica here, what do we have to fear?”
“The wizard from Bud is just here to watch the commotion,” Alman replied. “As for the Temple of Fire, the Lionheart Sword can be said to have a close connection with the Fire King. As for the Eruin people, do we really need to care about those country bumpkins’ opinions?”
The black-haired boy nodded.
“But is the Lionheart Sword really related to the changes in the Loop of Trade Winds?” Rono asked again. “Previously, the astrologers detected the artifact’s reaction, which should be in the southeast of Rendener, not far from Shubli.”
“The implications of the artifact’s reaction are too broad to pinpoint an exact location,” Delphine finally spoke calmly, “so it’s also quite normal that we entered the Black Forest from the south of Shubli and found nothing.”
“Could it have been taken by those bony frames?” Faina recalled the army of Madara they encountered on the road.
“The holy sword has consciousness,” the boy alchemist replied. “Whether it’s the Lionheart Sword or the Blade of Fire, they all symbolize light and justice—they would be turned to ashes by the undead. They cannot possibly be interested in these two swords.”
“So now the only hope is the Loop of Trade Winds,” Delphine said.
The group’s topic shifted from punishing Brendel to the true purpose of their journey. Just as they fell silent to ponder, a group of knights rushed in from outside in haste.
The knights first spotted Count Alman, the captain of the Royal Guard, and immediately stopped to salute, “Captain!”
“Count!”
Alman paused his thoughts and looked up at them. “What happened? Why the urgency?”
“Something major has happened, Count!”
“Major event?”
“The Loop of Trade Winds has undergone a change!” the knight responded, breathless.
……(To be continued. To find out what happens next, please log in for more chapters and support the author, support legitimate reading!)
