Chapter 67 Birthday: Red Wedding [VIP]
["Golden Blade"!]
[It really is the "Golden Blade"!]
[There's no mistake, that's definitely the light of the Golden Blade!]
[The "Golden Blade" is a sacred object enshrined under the Golden Sacred Tree. Why...]
[Yeah, why is it so... Could this be...]
All eyes were looking at Xiao Yun nervously and enthusiastically.
"—Yesterday at noon, I received the 'Golden Blade' from Lanatia. Then, the 'Golden Blade' entered my right arm along with the sunlight."
"Lanadia said this means I have been recognized and chosen by the Ya God."
"She told me to tell the fifteen Ya people who are temporarily staying in Meilin Village: You have been given a more important mission by the gods. You should stay by my side and work for me instead of returning to the dense forest."
"As for the others—I've consulted the Sioux and Shem tribes. You can decide for yourself whether to return to the jungle and reunite with your tribe or stay in Merlin Village."
After that, the prayer bells rang melodiously, echoing around the square like waves.
The sound of the bells gradually faded away with the vibration of the air, and the people gathered in the square finally came to their senses. With the heavy burden lifted from their shoulders, they could hardly suppress their inner excitement and gave wild cheers and tributes.
[Long live the Lord!]
[Long live the messenger of God!]
[Always follow Lord Lucien!]
[Long live Gaura!]
[……]
Looking at their ecstatic expressions, Xiao Yun also smiled sincerely.
(They must have been very nervous during their time in Meilin Village, especially the fifteen people from the Ya tribe...)
(No one understood the Ya tribe's arrogant and conservative nature better than them. Even the most optimistic Ya tribe members were convinced that they would be abandoned by their tribe and become homeless wanderers because of their experience in Flower Street...)
(Now, the "oracle" tells them that staying by my side and working for me is a brighter and better future blessed by the gods. The anxiety in their hearts has finally ended, and they can now start a new life to their heart's content...)
…
…
"Well, that concludes today's meeting."
Xiao Yun stood up and announced the end of the meeting.
"Any difficulties encountered in implementing the consensus reached in this meeting must be promptly reported to me or Mentor John. Don't hide small issues and let them grow into big problems."
"Of course, sir—we will carry out the meeting's requirements to the letter and truthfully report everything we see and hear to you and Mentor John."
Everyone stood up and respectfully saw the lord off.
"Thank you all for your hard work, and no matter how busy you are at work, you should never neglect rest and family."
Xiao Yun stood up and walked out of the meeting room.
…
When I finished my work and returned to my bedroom, it was already midnight.
Xiao Yun pushed open the door and felt something was wrong in the air.
The windows creaked in the absence of wind, the moonlight spreading across the ground was unnaturally distorted, and the strange atmosphere called the devil's way was spreading silently.
"Who! Who's there?! Come out!"
"——Master Lucien~"
Romila's unique voice, full of obscene and sweet flavor, sounded softly, and then a giant white snake as thick as an adult's waist crawled out from the shadow in the corner.
After crawling out of the darkness, the white snake tried to straighten its body. Its head gradually twisted into Romila's face, its ribs expanded into shoulders and hands, and its tail split into human legs.
"Long time no see~ Master~ I miss you every day~"
As if unaware that Xiao Yun hated her, Romila stretched out her white and smooth hands and frivolously toyed with her long black hair. Her fleshy and rosy lips were deliberately pouting, and her body, covered with mucus, twisted and turned wetly.
Xiao Yun was speechless: "Why can you transform from a snake into a human, but can't make clothes for yourself?"
"Because... well, I thought you would like me like this~"
Romila said shamelessly, sitting with one leg crossed in the air, the position hanging in the air just at the same height as Xiao Yun's eyes.
"Put away your debauchery."
Xiao Yun looked at Romila coldly.
Romila chuckled evilly: "Human swords can't actually cause any harm to my body~"
"Ordinary swords won't work, but what about the 'Golden Blade'?"
"'Golden Blade'?!"
Romila was shocked and shouted, "Really? You really got the 'Golden Blade'!"
"What? You don't know?"
Xiao Yun raised his right arm.
The right arm, sensing the devil's aura, emitted a faint golden light.
Romila's face suddenly became extremely ugly.
"Master, although we, the creatures of the demonic path, are not creatures from other dimensions, we also do not completely belong to the current dimensional space. This means that if I am hit by the 'Golden Blade', the wound will not heal for at least five years..."
"So the 'Golden Blade' attack is effective on you?"
"Yes,
Romila bit her lip and muttered, her sitting posture unconsciously becoming more proper: "I was born in Pakistan to tell you."
Xiao
"he?"
Romila showed an indescribable expression and murmured, "The old man and I both hope that something bad will happen to him. It's a pity that he is the demon chosen by fate... Freya is just an ordinary human, how could she possibly kill him..."
"So he's safe now?"
"Not only is he safe and sound, he also plans to wear the crown next month with Freya, who lost her father, and become the regent of Barakhania..."
Romila rolled her eyes as she spoke, seeming to resent Alfonso's success.
"…What do you mean? What exactly happened in Barakhania?"
"Well……"
Romila's face was distorted and she looked very painful.
"The situation was extremely chaotic. In fact, most people attending the wedding had no idea what exactly happened in the hall. Of course, the old man and I were exceptions... We might even know the whole story better than Alfonso, the mastermind..."
“…”
Xiao Yun showed strong impatience.
Romila quickly shrank her neck and began to tell the story.
"The story begins thirteen years ago—"
"At the time, Alfonso was only fifteen, parentless, and spent his days hanging out with bar girls, thieves, gamblers, and mercenaries. His only close friend was your mentor, John Deere. Of course, John Deere was only twelve at the time, a gifted man, but his family was poor. His mother died young, and his father was seriously ill from years of hard work. He was considering giving up his studies and finding a job as a bookkeeper in a merchant's shop."
"Although Alfonso himself didn't like studying, when he learned that John Deere was planning to drop out of school, he told John Deere not to worry and that he would lend him money. However, Alfonso had no money either, so he resorted to stealing and pretending to be a woman to cheat in casinos to support John Deere's studies."
"I have to say, he had pretty good luck. He always managed to slip away before the cheaters were caught, thanks to his agility and cunning mind. Unfortunately, luck doesn't always favor Alfonso. Finally, one day, he met Freya's brother, Louis, the King of Baracana, in the casino."
"At the time, he was gambling in the downstairs lobby, and Luis, who was visiting Milos, was watching him upstairs. Luis had become intrigued by this mysterious and fierce woman and wanted to buy her to spend the night with him. Alfonso naturally refused, and fled the casino under the pretext of getting some water. But no matter how clever and cunning he was, he was only fifteen, while the other party had a group of well-trained royal knights."
"Alfonso was soon captured by Louis' knights. They dragged him before Louis and suggested that their master hang the white-haired young man, who had pretended to be a woman and was cheating, like a dog. But Louis thought Alfonso was very handsome, his white hair was very unique, and he had a pair of rare golden-green eyes."
"He gave Alfonso two choices: be hanged like a dog, or stay with him for half a month. As long as Alfonso stayed with him for half a month, not only would he not kill Alfonso, he would also pay Alfonso a bag of silver coins as a reward."
"Alfonso didn't want to die, and he needed money, so he agreed to Luis's request. Seeing how easily he agreed, Luis suddenly wanted to know how far Alfonso would go for money. So... for the next two weeks, he forced Alfonso to play many extreme games~"
When she said this, Romila's eyes sparkled and she seemed very excited.
"Curb your evil taste!"
Xiao Yun reminded Romila.
"Why? Because you have feelings for Alfonso and don't want to know the pain and humiliation he went through as a child?"
Romila smirked and said, "I understand how you feel. Although Alfonso wasn't as handsome as your brother, enough to captivate everyone who saw him, he was still a rare beauty, a battlefield hero, and he saved your life several times. Even out of the simplest gratitude, you wouldn't want to believe that the now-robust Alfonso was once wantonly exploited for a bag of money."
"Stop your nonsense! Unless you want to turn into a puddle of liquid on the ground!"
"OK……"
Romila shrank back and continued.
"This experience with Louis obviously didn't leave Alfonso with any good memories. After receiving the agreed compensation, he immediately left Louis and took John Deere to the Capital of Light."
"Three years ago, Alfonso met your brother through John Dill's introduction. With the financial support of Her Royal Highness the Princess, he successfully formed his own mercenary group and reunited with Louis while on a mercenary mission two years ago."
"Eleven years later, Luis met Alfonso again and found that the young Alfonso was even more attractive than the old Alfonso. He brought up the past and threatened Alfonso to become his lover. Alfonso pretended to agree and then killed Luis."
"After Luis's death, his sister, the Golden Princess Flora, became the first in line to the Barakanian throne. To fulfill his dream of becoming king, Alfonso actively pursued Flora, and Flora did indeed fall in love with Alfonso, if she hadn't received the letter exposing Alfonso's crime of murdering Luis two months ago."
Romila's mouth curved into an evil grin.
"—The letter of revelation was written by the old man. I will be responsible for delivering it to Freya."
"Why? Why do you do this to him?"
“Because it’s fun.”
Romila said viciously, "Don't you want to know what terrible things will happen if Alfonso draws his sword and cuts the spider silk that leads him to the light at the critical moment when he is about to have a bright future?"
"I'm not as vicious as you!"
Xiao Yun said firmly.
"But……"
Romila curled her lips and continued, "We not only told Flora the secret that Alfonso killed Luis, but we also told Alfonso the secret that Flora discovered this secret."
"--you!"
"The old man is a dark magician, and I am a creation of the dark magic. The oppressed soul, the twisted pain, and the death filled with resentment can make us stronger."
Romila declared triumphantly.
"In short, thanks to our tireless efforts, Alfonso decided to kill Freya on their wedding day, and Freya also planned to kill Alfonso on their wedding day. Ah, what a rare wedding this was! The carefully decorated hall was transformed into a gorgeous slaughterhouse in the blink of an eye."
"—Get to the point!"
Xiao Yun interrupted Romila's nonsense.
"All right."
Romila muttered, frowning.
"On the wedding day, yesterday at noon, all the invited guests, including envoys from various countries, entered the bridal hall in their gorgeous attire. Most of them followed tradition and did not carry weapons, at most hanging a sword around their waist as a decoration."
"The same was true of Alfonso, the groom. He wore an ankle-length court gown from the Empire of the Sun. Knowing of Freya's plot, he concealed a piece of assassination-proof soft armor woven using magical techniques beneath the loose-fitting gown. Several of his attendants also removed their armor and donned formal attire. Their swords were adorned with gold and silver, so no one could tell they were weapons ready for battle."
"Amidst the applause and cheers of the crowd, Alfonso, dressed in a long frock coat, accompanied by ten attendants in frock coats and twenty fully-armed Baccarania knights, entered the hall and approached his beautiful bride with long golden hair. Anyone who knew of Freya's plot would have believed that victory was assured."
"I also think this scene is very unfavorable to Alfonso."
Xiao Yun sighed.
"Alfonso and Freya stood side by side before the priest of the goddess of love, receiving blessings and signing the marriage deed. People cheered and raised their glasses to salute the newlyweds. Suddenly, an assassin dressed as a knight rushed out of the crowd, shouting 'Long live Barakhanya' and rushing towards Alfonso."
"At this critical moment, Freya stood in front of Alfonso and endured the assassin's attack. Of course, if you were standing behind Alfonso, you would have seen that Alfonso used a feint to protect Freya and pushed her into the assassin's dagger!"
"Then, something even more terrifying happened."
"Alfonso embraced the injured Freya and shouted that someone was trying to kill them. His followers rushed forward to subdue the assassin and removed his helmet in public—ah! He turned out to be Freya's knight and also her secret lover."
"this……"
Xiao Yun was stunned by the endless changes.
"Froya planned to have a knight assassinate Alfonso after signing the marriage contract with him. She would then publicly execute the knight as a crime of passion, brushing the entire incident aside. Finally, she would loudly announce her pregnancy with Alfonso, thus legally seizing Alfonso's power. If the ten attendants accompanying Alfonso at the wedding refused to kneel, they would be killed by the Barakanian knights present during the chaos."
"I'm sure you're wondering why a knight would be so willing to die. Is the power of love really that great?"
Romila laughed strangely: "Because he didn't know that Flora planned to execute him in public after he killed Alfonso. He only knew that the child in Flora's belly was his!"
"She, he..."
Romila's explanation made Xiao Yun's face turn pale and he felt extremely disgusted.
"Politics is such a dirty thing."
Romila boasted proudly.
"...Just as the guests, both those aware of Freya's plan and those unaware, were stunned by the fact that Freya had been accidentally stabbed by her knight lover, Prime Minister Barakaniya suddenly ordered all entrances and exits to the auditorium to be sealed, forcing no one to leave! A team of knights rushed into the hall, all doors were closed from the outside, and the lights in the hall were instantly extinguished. In the terrifying darkness, with almost no one aware of what was happening, the Red Wedding officially began."
"The hall was filled with the smell of blood, and everywhere was filled with screams, curses, cries for help, the sounds of heavy objects falling to the ground, and the sound of heads rolling on the ground... The old man with dark vision and I sat high up in the auditorium, happily admiring the scenery comparable to hell, and reveling in the desperate cries of the guests..."
Romila became more and more excited as she spoke, with an obscene smile on her face.
Xiao Yun listened in silence.
Even though he knew that the brutal massacre that Romila had described in the Barakhania Palace was over, he still felt a strong sense of anger in his heart.
(Why did this happen!)
(Why kill unarmed guests indiscriminately!)
(Why!)
"...The massacre lasted for about half an hour. The door to the banquet hall was thrown open from the outside, and the darkness returned to light. The Baracanian courtiers and Alfonso's generals who arrived saw the hall turned into a display of corpses. The King of Baracania was hacked to death in the melee. Alfonso, the groom, stood in a pool of blood, his white dress almost soaked red, but he still held his seriously injured princess bride tightly. His ten attendants were also covered in blood, their weapons cracked from excessive hacking."
"At this moment, an envoy from the Sun Empire, who had escaped destruction thanks to Alfonso's protection, stepped forward. He told the panicked Barakanian courtiers that the Prime Minister had conspired to kill all members of the Barakanian royal family, including Alfonso, and the foreign dignitaries attending the wedding on their wedding day, in an effort to overthrow the entire nation. Ultimately, love triumphed over conspiracy, and good triumphed over evil. Although the King of Barakania tragically died, Princess Flora and her husband, Alfonso, were still alive."
"Will the courtiers believe such a ridiculous explanation?"
Xiao Yun asked back.
"Do they dare to publicly contradict the envoys of the Sun Empire and confess that the truth is that the king and princess planned to kill the groom, the 'Mercenary King', at the wedding and seize his power?"
Romila said sarcastically, "Besides, Alfonso is still alive. Many of his generals are behind the courtiers, and his army is waiting outside the palace. The envoy of the Sun Empire, the most powerful empire in the western continent, also survived because of Alfonso's protection."
“…”
Xiao Yun fell silent, recalling Ulysses' painful expression when Yaris asked him to select an envoy who was flexible to go to Barakhania to attend the wedding.
(No wonder Ulysses was so distressed at the time. He had guessed his brother's plan from the very beginning... He was indeed the formidable figure his mentor had described as the only one capable of surpassing him and becoming his brother's most trusted confidant...)
"—After a brief silence, all the courtiers accepted the explanation of the Sun Empire's envoy and shouted "Long live Freya" and "Long live Alfonso." They then dragged the bodies of the knight who had accidentally stabbed Freya and the prime minister who had conspired to rebel from the pile of corpses and hung them up for public display."
"Alfonso's troops quickly took over the palace, cleaned up the scene, maintained order, and comforted the survivors."
After ensuring the palace was completely under his control, Alfonso, still clad in his blood-soaked robe, appeared on the balcony, holding Flora, who had fainted from excessive blood loss. He recounted the horrific massacre to the anxious citizens gathered in the square. He then announced that Princess Flora would officially ascend the throne as Queen of Barakhania in two weeks, and that he would assist the queen as regent.
"It was a scene both extremely beautiful and extremely perverse... A handsome man in a blood-stained white wedding gown, holding his unconscious bride in his arms, stood on a white marble balcony. His golden-green eyes flashed with a violent and restless light, his face filled with deep contempt and indifference. His white hair fluttering in the wind, along with the white marble, was illuminated by the setting sun, a dim yellow and red. In the square, the people stared at him blankly, as if holding their breath, and gradually, a resolute cheer of "Long live the king" shook the palace—"
Romila vividly described the scene, which was full of morbid beauty. In her extreme excitement, she even put her hands to her throat and imitated the people's shouting:
"Long live Barakhania!"
"Long live Queen Freya!"
"Long live King Alfonso!"
"——You're such a pervert!"
Xiao Yun cursed.
Romila, however, showed a satisfied smile: "Well, I am a pervert."
…
…
As night fell, the palace was ablaze with lights. Alfonso, who was in full control of the capital of Barakanya, walked into the heavily guarded room wearing his favorite white armor.
Freya sat wearily on the sofa, wearing her blood-stained wedding gown, her luxurious golden hair shining.
"Today is our second day of marriage."
Alfonso said.
“…”
She raised her head silently and looked at Alfonso coldly with her tearless eyes: "Even if you kill all of us, you can't get what you want!"
"I just announced that the baby in your belly is mine."
Alfonso said nonchalantly.
Freya's body shook slightly: "You, you know..."
"Of course I know your child isn't mine. The last time we had sex was three months ago. On the third day after that, you sent me away. I smelled blood on you, and your period arrived."
"You...then why are you..."
"I need this child. After the child is born, you can rest assured and go to the underworld to accompany your family."
"Once you have complete control of my kingdom, you will kill my child and take the throne yourself?"
"Yes!"
"I'd rather abort the baby now! So that he won't suffer after birth!"
"It's okay, I'll get you pregnant again as soon as possible."
"you--"
"I would be happy if you died from this."
Alfonso looked at Freya with a smile.
Freya's face stiffened.
"...What's the situation outside now? Is your army slaughtering and looting my people?"
"Don't worry, my army will not rob or massacre civilians. Although they are mercenaries, they are well-trained and know how to respect the people better than your royal knights. As for you——"
Alfonso looked at Freya, and Freya looked at him expressionlessly, and their eyes were filled with deep hatred.
"——As my wife and the Queen of Barakhania, you naturally deserve the strictest protection in the deepest part of the palace."
"Shut up! You murderer! Robber!"
Freya roared, "You stole my country! You killed my father! And you killed my beloved brother!"
"What did you say!"
Alfonso's expression suddenly changed and he reached for the hilt of his sword.
Realizing he was about to lose control, his trusted followers quickly stopped him: "Master!"
“…It’s okay, I’m not out of control.”
Alfonso looked at Flora coldly, like a dark monster in the middle of the night.
"——male prostitute!"
Freya uttered another painful sound from her lips. "Louis truly loved you! The day before you killed him, he wrote to me saying he'd fallen in love with the boy he'd sponsored eleven years before. He wanted to bring him into the palace and make him a noble! He loved you! And you killed him! You male prostitute! You vile thing!"
"oh?"
Alfonso's face twitched, and a twisted smile appeared on his face. "Just because he loves me, does that mean I have to love him? You're not so naive as to think that the financial support Luis gave me eleven years ago and the promises he made to me later were all free gifts with no strings attached, are you?"
"Even if there are additional conditions, it is an equal exchange permitted by the gods!"
Flora looked at Alfonso arrogantly and cursed, "A pariah is a pariah. Even wearing noble clothing won't change your stupid and lowly nature! You don't even understand the principle that 'God grants grace while taking away'!"
“——!”
Alfonso's face turned pale instantly.
After a brief pause—
"...Sure enough, you, like your brother, will never understand why I hate you."
"I only regret not killing you immediately after I learned the truth!"
"Why didn't you kill me immediately? Because you are more greedy and shameless than me!"
Alfonso taunted Freya: "You and your father keep saying that you want to kill me to avenge Louis, but what you really want is my army and land."
"I just—"
"Don't try to beautify yourself with so-called noble virtues in front of me!"
Alfonso angrily emphasized, "The lower class who choose to sell themselves out to survive may be despicable, but the nobles who force the lower class to sell themselves out to satisfy their own desires are not noble either!"
Freya was stunned, looking at Alfonso in astonishment as if she was seeing him for the first time.
At this moment, Alfonso lost his last interest in this woman and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute! There are two questions I want to know the answers to."
"explain."
"Why did all the lights in the auditorium go out the moment the door closed?"
"Because fate is on my side."
“…”
Furoya took a breath and trembled as she asked her second question: "Did your people take advantage of the chaos to kill my father?"
"When I hugged him in public, I put fluorescent powder on his back. In the dark, that fluorescent powder would be particularly conspicuous."
“…”
"I'll tell you one more thing—"
"What?"
"I and the ten subordinates I brought into the auditorium all have night vision."
After saying that, Alfonso walked out of the room.
Behind me came the sharp sound of breaking glass and a woman's hoarse scream.
"ah--"
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