Chapter 58: Shameless [VIP]

At daybreak, a tightly covered covered carriage drove out of the arena with the cooperation of the staff.

As soon as the gate opened, the enthusiastic spectators who had been waiting outside the arena all night rushed in.

"Claude! Claude!"

"Angel of the Colosseum!"

"Let me cut off your hair as a talisman!"

"I only want a piece of your clothing!"

“…”

Countless screams rushed over like a tide, almost swallowing the carriage.

Fortunately, the people in the carriage were prepared and threw the bard's shirt out of the window.

"Claude! Claude!"

The crowd suddenly became excited and scrambled for clothes frantically.

The driver took the opportunity to crack the whip and drive the carriage forward.

The people who squeezed into the crowd fought for clothes, and the rest ran desperately after the carriage like zombies. Along the way, people kept climbing up big trees and high walls, waving wildly at the people in the carriage, and from time to time someone risked jumping from a high place, trying to land on the hood of the carriage.

Everyone's eyes were bloodshot from staying up late, and they were as excited as beasts pouncing on their prey. They pushed each other and moved forward madly, shouting "Claude"'s name, completely unaware that their extreme behavior might lead to a stampede.

"Please share your divine power with me!"

"Touch me! I need your strength!"

"Amulet! Amulet!"

…

"—Oh! This is so terrible! Are they always this crazy?"

Behind the high walls of the arena, Xiao Yun, who witnessed everything, couldn't help but gasp.

Even Alfonso couldn't help but exclaim: "It's amazing."

"The Kukuchia people worship the strong. After what happened yesterday, the master has become a superstar in Kukuchia."

Richard smiled bitterly and said, "Some people, after hearing the story of the master curing Lisa, a prostitute, superstitiously believe that the master has the power to heal others' illnesses, and—"

"And the gambling industry in Kukuchia is incredibly prosperous. Every day, countless bets are taken on the outcome of gladiatorial matches."

Lance walked into the room, took off the mask that was said to be cursed by the magic way, and saluted Alfonso: "Master——"

"Um."

Alfonso nodded.

Richard was immediately excited when he saw the true face of the masked warrior who called herself Brandi: "It's you! 'Blue Lion' Lance! You are my idol!"

"Who are you--"

"From the day you won your first victory in the arena of Kukuchia, I've been your loyal fan! Because of you, I strive to become a gladiator and regard winning the gladiatorial championship as my life's goal!"

"I'm not as great as you think."

Lance said casually.

As the carriage drove away, the crowd that crowded the exit and road of the arena gradually dispersed, and Xiao Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally I can go back and rest."

"It seems so."

Alfonso teased, "Where do you want to rest? In the comfortable bed that Talese prepared for us? Or in the arms of those beautiful women on the red street?"

"Please spare me."

Xiao Yun was speechless: "I just want to find a quiet place where no one is watching me and have a good sleep."

"Ah, I see."

Alfonso glanced back at Lance, who nodded without hesitation.

Then, the three of them got into the carriage, drove out of the arena and passed through the alley.

There were more and more houses on both sides, and the carriage finally stopped on a deserted beach.

"It's safe here, and there's absolutely no chance of anyone eavesdropping."

Lance promised the two.

Xiao Yun then got off the carriage and walked with Alfonso along the seashore where the salty breeze was blowing, and beside them was the sea that was shining with golden light at sunrise.

"Alfonso, I need your help, even though my original plan didn't include you."

"oh?"

Alfonso smiled in amusement. "Why do you think I'll help you? Because you're his brother?"

"Because I know you didn't come to Kukuchia for pleasure."

"He's a cunning little devil indeed."

Alfonso muttered and asked Xiao Yun, "How do you want me to help you?"

"My purpose in coming to Kukuchia was to rescue the various tribes of the jungle who were trafficked here by slave ships. After a few days of separate investigations, my people have already made contact with those who were forced to become gladiators, and the dozens of people who were sold to the red-light district have also been found..."

"I plan to use the grand carnival on the last day of the Sea God Festival to help them escape from Kukuchia. I hope your people can cooperate with us and create widespread chaos in the city."

"Helping me will benefit you more than it will harm you. On the one hand, after I return to Gaola with your help, I will speak well of you in front of my brother. On the other hand, assisting me with my escape plan will make it easier for you to seize the entire Kukuchia!"

Xiao Yun added.

"--ah."

After listening to Lucien's lobbying, with a strange intimacy.

"Lucien, you are worthy of being his younger brother. Although your words are still immature and your view of the world is full of unrealistic naivety and idealism, at this moment, I am moved by your words."

He raised his shoulder, a look of nostalgia in his eyes, and murmured, "It's not so much that I'm touched, but rather that I share the same feelings... Besides, the rewards are high..."

"-Lucien, no matter what you decide to do next, I will help you, because helping you will help me achieve my dream of becoming a king, which others call a delusion, more quickly."

"Alfonso,

"What's the problem?"

“Why

"because--"

Alfonso said contemptuously: "Because the throne is there!"

"In the eyes of most people in the Western Continent, I'm a restless pariah, a hooligan, a scoundrel, a fatherless bastard, an uneducated mercenary. Yet, I dream of being crowned king! How foolish and ridiculous! But I want to tell them, this is no dream! I, who once had nothing, now possess the power to make my dreams come true!"

He repeated it with fascination, with a trance-like look on his face, his right fist clenched over his heart.

"I'll never forget the emotion that welled up in my heart the first time I saw His Highness. Born to stand at the pinnacle of the Western Continent, he was so beautiful and noble, so refined and elegant, even his fingers were soft and white, like the beauty of a god. He smiled at me, smiling at me, who came from the lowest and filthiest of all... He held my fingers and told me... he needed me... I was born to be a king... Together, I would change the world..."

"From that moment on, I decided to become king! Because he said I would be king! I could kill anyone and do anything to please him! For him, I would do anything!"

…

…

In the evening, Xiao Yun and Alfonso returned to Paradise City in a carriage.

The city was bustling with activity.

Under the steward's command, the servants put away the vulgar and glaring tapestries and paintings, moved away the statues with ambiguous and obscene postures, and replaced them with the most popular luxurious, restrained and elegant decorations in the Capital of Light.

However, Paradise is a castle that exists for pleasure. Even if the servants replace the frivolous and vulgar furnishings with elegant and luxurious decorations, it only makes the castle, which is as decadent as a brothel, more decadent and gorgeous that cannot touch people's hearts, making it look even more empty and decadent.

"What's going on?"

Alfonso asked the steward.

The steward bowed and replied, "At the invitation of the City Lord, His Royal Highness the Holy Grand Duke will arrive in Kukuchia in ten days to attend the Sea God Festival. This is the first time Kukuchia has been invited to attend since its founding! The City Lord requires that the reception be handled with impeccable care."

"What did you say? He, he really would..."

Alfonso's breathing was a little rapid.

"certainly."

Romila's voice suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterwards, a beautiful face with the unique beauty of a succubus, which was lewd and artificial and made Xiao Yun feel extremely uncomfortable, appeared in the crowd.

(Why is he here?)

Xiao Yun frowned.

Romila seemed not to notice Xiao Yun beside Alfonso. She walked straight to Alfonso, stretched out her white legs that exuded a cool and slippery scent like a snake, and tried to wrap them around Alfonso's neck.

"Mercenary King..."

“What are you doing!”

Alfonso shook off Romila's grip.

"You don't like me?"

Romila pouted, her voice sounding sickeningly sweet.

"Why should I like you?"

"Please don't say such cold words to me. I simply admire you and want to have a deeper contact with you."

Romila caressed her cheek frivolously. "Well, compared to the Holy Duke, I'm certainly not beautiful or charming, but I have excellent skills. I can accompany you all night, and it's okay for you two to come together."

“It turned out to be a male prostitute!”

Alfonso told the steward with disgust: "Send him to Talese."

"Lord City Lord——"

"Tales asked me to accompany you."

Romila said softly, "Although I'm a male prostitute, I'm very familiar with the situation in the countries of the Western Continent, especially the situation in the Capital of Light..."

“…”

Alfonso showed a wary attitude.

Xiao Yun winked at Alfonso at this time.

Alfonso understood and asked Romila to go with them to the villa.

"Mercy King, you really like to exercise with three people~ And this handsome guy just happens to be my type~"

Romila spoke frivolously in a sticky tone, leaning her soft body towards Xiao Yun.

Xiao Yun retreated decisively, leaving the succubus empty-handed.

…

After entering the villa, Romila glanced around, took out the barrier gem, activated it, and said softly, "I will cooperate with you, so don't be too violent~"

"Hurry up, don't keep us waiting too long!"

"I am a ripe fruit. If you give me a light push, I will collapse... Uh~ah~"

After setting up the barrier, Romila twisted her body and pressed it against Xiao Yun, stretching out her tongue to lick the back of Xiao Yun's neck.

Xiao Yun grabbed his long tongue with a twitch and threw the shameless succubus out.

"Don't be so naughty! Romila!"

"Okay, let's get down to business."

Romila smiled awkwardly, licked Yu's back and said, "Tales asked me to sow discord between you two."

"Why?"

"Tales was very upset about the events at the Colosseum, and he wanted to kill you to vent his anger. But you're quite powerful, Alfonso's favorite, and the people revere you as the 'Saint of the Rue des Garçons' and the 'Angel of the Colosseum'. He didn't want to offend Alfonso, nor did he want to incite a civil unrest by killing you. So, he sent me to sleep among you, to lure Alfonso into killing you himself."

"But even if Alfonso accepted my seduction, I wouldn't want to sleep with him."

Romila chuckled wickedly.

"Why?"

"The wild blood in his body will burn my delicate body!"

"It turns out that you don't want it, you just don't dare to ask for it."

Xiao Yun teased Romila.

Romila smiled mysteriously, her dark eyes flashing with creepy decay in the pale moonlight.

"Come to think of it, the person you care about the most is indeed a special existence~"

"Um?"

Alfonso scowled.

Romila laughed hoarsely, "The one in the East cares about him very much and regards him as the only one qualified to be her queen."

"The one from the East? Who!"

Alfonso clenched his fists: "Why would he cause the East—"

"Dark Night Mentor!"

Xiao Yun couldn't help but expose the other party's identity: "How dare you ignore your brother's warning and sneak into the True Human Empire for the first time!"

"Are you not interested in what is happening in the Imperial Palace of the True Human Empire right now?"

The Dark Night Mentor calmly replied, "In the capital of the True Human Empire, I heard shocking news. Approximately one hundred kilometers from the capital, a brand new city dedicated to the future queen is being built."

"What did you say?"

Alfonso growled.

"He has fallen in love with a beautiful woman from the Silver Moon Palace. He is deeply captivated by her beauty, wisdom, and the great secrets she holds. He is plotting a terrible scheme to kidnap her from the Western Continent to the Eastern Continent, imprison her, torture her, and force her to fall in love with him and become her queen."

"What!"

Alfonso's voice was filled with suppressed anger: "Who is He! Tell me, who is He!"

"I cannot utter His name. His power is far greater than mine."

The Dark Night Mentor seemed delighted and said excitedly, "His shadow is attempting to penetrate deeper into the Western Continent. It may have already appeared beside Edmund."

"Edmund is a pathetic fool. There's already darkness in his heart. He's lived in Rosa Marie's shadow for so long. Such a soul can easily be drawn to true darkness and become a puppet of the devil."

"Unfortunately, because Her Royal Highness has been so deeply involved in the higher-dimensional world, she's completely indifferent to most of the world in this world. She saw the darkness in Edmund's heart, but found it amusing. She used various means to stimulate Edmund, causing him to become increasingly paranoid and insane."

"I don't know what Her Highness is thinking. After all, she is a peculiar being that can hardly be called a human being. Her thoughts and cognition have always been seriously deviated from common sense. But I must remind you that the princess's body is in a dangerous state and may collapse at any time. Once her body collapses-"

The Dark Night Mentor smiled darkly. "Sometimes I think it would be a good idea to have Her Royal Highness the Princess taken to the Eastern Continent before she collapses."

"Yeah?"

Alfonso stared at the "Dark Night Mentor".

"Yes."

The Dark Night Mentor said with satisfaction, "Because even He cannot escape the damage to the surrounding objects after the complete collapse of Her Highness's body. He will be devoured by the terrifying creature within Her Highness's body. Once He is completely dead, I will take over His empire, become the most powerful magician in the world, and enjoy this world to the fullest~"

"Brother is right, you are indeed a short-sighted, incompetent and cowardly fellow!"

"No matter what, I am now your most important collaborator," the Dark Night Mentor said shamelessly, "I might even be your only savior."

"Okay! Okay!"

Xiao Yun said impatiently, "Savior, how do you plan to help us fight Him?"

"It's simple. I will fulfill your ambitions at all costs and help you transform the Western Continent into a unified and great empire. You are all chosen by fate to have a deep bond with Him. No matter who ultimately sits on the throne, the loser will not be like Edmund, bewitched by darkness and become His puppet."

"Well……"

Xiao Yun glanced at Alfonso.

The "Dark Night Mentor" seems to be lending them a helping hand, but in fact, he is secretly trying to sow discord among them.

Alfonso obviously also heard the hidden meaning of the "Dark Night Mentor": "I refuse to associate with you."

"Why?"

"You are a cunning fellow. If I ally with you, the country I worked so hard to build will be taken away by you without my knowledge, and I will become a puppet under your control."

"I understand your fear. But have you never realized that the beauty of the Silver Moon Palace is also manipulating you? Her control over you is even greater than mine..."

"I am willing to be controlled by him! I want him to control me anytime and anywhere!"

Alfonso yelled angrily.

Xiao Yun also emphasized: "'Dark Night Mentor', I advise you not to try to sow discord between us! Otherwise--"

"--All right!"

Thinking of the embarrassed "Dark Night Mentor" who was driven away by the white light, he said weakly: "Even if you don't want to join me, I will cooperate with your plan. Because although I plot and do evil all day long, my ambition is limited to becoming the strongest magician to rule over mankind. And He... If He succeeds in obtaining the princess's power, the world will be reduced to purgatory..."

"I have always understood his obsession with Her Majesty the Princess. He possesses qualities that attract both darkness and light, yet his body is more fragile than a petal... If I could have him, I would also want him to live his life confined to his bed from now on..."

“…”

Alfonso rubbed the bulging veins on his forehead.

"—No matter what, our interests are aligned. I will cooperate with you to protect the poor princess at all costs. What do you think?"

"Well, I suppose so."

Alfonso accepted the invitation of the "Dark Night Mentor".

Although Xiao Yun did not trust this suspicious black magician at all, he needed his strength at the moment, so he nodded.

…

…

The Poseidon Festival is approaching, and the city is immersed in a festive atmosphere, becoming more lively and noisy than ever before.

The hedonistic people of Cucuccia were either discussing the betting plans during the gladiatorial games, or wondering whether the Holy Duke who was about to visit Cucuccia was really as stunningly beautiful as rumored.

No one noticed that beneath the excitement, a fierce undercurrent was brewing.

The source of the undercurrent is Paradise City.

…

Like the calm before a storm, Paradise City has been unusually quiet and peaceful in recent times.

Every day, Romila sent notes to Count Talles, reporting trivial details: Claude said something provocative to Alfonso in bed; Alfonso claimed that Romila's singing skills were better than Claude's; Claude stayed out all night for a singing competition, and Alfonso suddenly stopped in the middle of singing and kicked himself out of bed...

The tip-off put Talles in a good mood. He pretended to be nonchalant and asked Alfonso, "Claude has been out all night for two consecutive times. Aren't you worried that he has a new lover outside?"

“…”

"He is good-looking, 7 is the 'Saint of Flower Street' and the 'Angel of the Arena', and all the men and women in Kukuchia want to provide him with services for free."

"Then let him stay in Kukuchia forever!"

Alfonso's expression was strange, as if he had been stabbed in a painful spot.

Talles was very happy and said with a smug smile: "Alfonso, I would be very happy to keep him here, if you don't mind."

…

Three days before the Festival of Poseidon, the Holy Duke's fleet arrived at the port of Kucukia.

Before daybreak, the harbor was already packed with cruise ships and sightseeing boats that had come to greet the Holy Grand Duke. The ships were all lit, and the lights shone through the windows onto the sea at dawn, presenting a beautiful, dreamy, shimmering golden blue.

The number of people gathered on the shore was several times the usual number. Everyone was dressed up and excited, and the air was filled with the salty smell of sea water.

The sun rose from the horizon, the sea fog gradually dissipated, and excited calls came from the watchtower: "Here they come! Here they come!"

People stood on tiptoe to look and saw a huge ship in the mist, surrounded by several accompanying boats, coming towards Kucukia. The outline of the ship was three times the size of its companions. The bow was decorated with statues of twin gods, and there were three huge flags on the ship fluttering in the sea breeze.

"It's the royal ship of the Holy Grand Duke!"

The people on the shore cheered.

The guards holding spears immediately tensed up and held their weapons tightly, fearing that the crowd would be too excited and break through the human wall and rush into the red carpet laid by the city lord, Count Talles, to welcome the Holy Grand Duke.

Inside the human wall formed by the guards, beautiful maids stood on both sides of the red carpet, carrying small baskets filled with Rosa Marie petals. Talles himself stood under the canopy decorated with gold, purple and red silk, his body covered with the Holy Grand Duke's favorite Bisarua perfume.

"Finally...finally..."

Thinking of meeting the Holy Grand Duke who is known as the most beautiful woman in the Western Continent, Talles rubbed his nipples with excitement.

Xiao Yun, who won the championship of the singing competition, stood beside Talese. He looked at Habia and Tricia, who were standing beside him as the male and female champions of the gladiator competition, and bit his lip nervously.

(Brother... seeing me here, will you...)

"—Are you nervous?"

Noticing Xiao Yun's awkwardness, Thales taunted him, "You should be nervous. The Holy Duke not only looks better than you, but also possesses a noble status that everyone looks up to. He only needs a glance to make Alfonso chop off your head."

"...Am I really so humble in front of him?"

"Are you still dreaming of a fateful showdown with him?"

Talese chuckled disdainfully.

At this moment, the noisy port suddenly became quiet.

Under the protection of a paladin in silver armor, the Holy Duke appeared before everyone.

"His Royal Highness the Holy Grand Duke Yaris has arrived in Kukuchia—"

the attendant shouted.

The people who heard the sound did not kneel.

They stared at the Holy Grand Duke, who was walking towards them with an elegant and calm pace, with their mouths open and eyes wide open, as if they had turned into stone statues.

The maids also forgot to scatter flower petals. They stood there staring at the light that filled their vision. It was not until the figure emitting the fragrance of Bisarua left that they woke up from their dream and knelt down in horror.

"——Nice to meet you, Lord Talese."

"Your Highness—"

Tales, who was brought back to his senses by Yaris's voice, swallowed hard.

Kukuchia is a city filled with beauty and decadence, but even its lord, Tales, has never seen such a mysterious, complex, and incredible demonic beauty:

Her flawless face reflects an elegant decadence, her soft, silky black hair exudes the coolness of the night, and her charming black eyes sparkle with a light as bright and deep as a night lake.

At this moment, Yaris's suspiciously dark eyes were looking straight at Talles and the person standing behind Talles. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing a smile that was as faint as the statue of the goddess of beauty.