"It is absolutely impossible for me to 'give' you territory. My plan is to help you conquer some small countries in the west, and after victory, I will grant you temporary administrative control over these countries."
"Oh? And then?"
"My army will once again set out from the east to conquer, circling this planet until it reaches the small countries under your jurisdiction."
"Then I will reclaim my authority, whether you like it or not. My dear friend, enjoy the power I have bestowed upon you as a vassal state until that moment arrives."
The sorcerer began to chuckle, "Truly worthy of being a ruler of a nation, your superior strategies and methods surpass even those of your late king. Only someone as greedy as you would harbor such thoughts!"
Van Rexor glanced in his direction before refocusing his attention on the documents in his hands.
"Your necromancers' 'puppet magic' is indispensable to me. With you, my forces can be nearly doubled."
On the surface, we have a regular human army as our fighting force. But apart from you and me, no one else knows that we also have a powerful "Undead Legion."
"—Stop, Your Highness." The sorcerer's innate, animalistic intuition alerted him. "It seems a very powerful guest has arrived outside."
-
The woman secretly lurking in the palace—Zelaya Sevensoz—stopped in her tracks. Before her, the still-lit palace, exuding a mysterious and eerie atmosphere from within, caught her attention.
The "things" that Zeraya was carrying were trembling ominously.
The strangest thing was that there were no soldiers guarding the palace gates. Moreover, there wasn't a single sign of life anywhere.
Therefore, she released the concealment spell she had placed on herself. Like shedding a large, black trench coat, a gust of wind blew, and the spell dissipated into the air. At the same time, the slender figure of the young woman gradually appeared.
Her face was pale, yet exceptionally beautiful;
Brown hair was tied at the back of the head with a hairpin;
She wore a deep blue silk dress that, though now tinged with the darkness of night, remained as magnificent as ever;
With several sword-like weapons on her back, Zeraya's appearance suggests she is a female swordswoman from an exotic Eastern land.
Indeed, that was the case. In the East, where she once lived, she was also known as the "Female Sword Saint" by others.
She untied the "concealment spell"—the purpose of such a risk was to better observe the situation before her.
This demonic aura, seemingly proclaiming death, was remarkably similar to—no, practically identical—to what I felt when I was in the capital, Vominable.
Back then, Zeraya arrived too late and couldn't save the lives of the people of Wormingbele. Before she arrived, the entire city had already been transformed into a blood-soaked zombie capital.
Fortunately, she eventually rescued a boy in the nearby forest.
Later, the boy even became his disciple.
Zeraya taught him all the swordsmanship she had ever learned in her life;
Filled with guilt, she showered him with familial love. The two depended on each other for survival, being both teacher and student and family.
The demonic aura emanating from the imperial palace was exactly the same as the demonic aura that existed in the capital back then.
Zeraya drew her sword and moved forward. The sword energy, along with her movement, disrupted the inherent demonic aura of the area.
She suddenly remembered that Valentino's master should also be in the palace, where the lights were still on.
The source of demonic energy—the necromancer—is also confirmed to be among them. This suggests that the two of them may already know each other and be conspiring together.
She stopped halfway down the road leading to the palace.
“Vanrexor… I am not your opponent.”
Zeraya once again activated the concealment runes, and after she blended into the darkness, she used Instant Step to leave.
-
Before sunset, Elfons rode his steed, the Holy Dragon Desfield, from the Palace of the Fierce Eagle, and arrived at the Royal Palace as the silver moon rose that night.
As he stepped through the main entrance, he became alert, vaguely sensing that a pair of mysterious eyes were watching him from nearby.
Alphonse trained all day with his fellow Silver Knights and was feeling quite exhausted, both physically and mentally.
During his rest, he suddenly realized that he had been separated from Priscilla for almost three months, and a strong sense of longing welled up again. Despite his exhaustion, he set off for the palace.
Alphonse had already heard from the messenger about the recent events that had taken place in the palace, including how Vanrexor had used the opportunity of a conference competition to wound the royal army commander and then annex the royal army.
The changes in the National Revolutionary Army represent the second significant upheaval in Valentino's history following the death of his father.
A sense of unease lingered in his heart. A feeling of crisis constantly surrounded him.
This country... Elfons' homeland, is facing a crisis.
He didn't care about all that; his main purpose in coming here today was to visit Priscilla, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
Desfield transformed into a fledgling dragon the size of a wicker fox, folded its wings and breath, and leaped onto Alphonse's shoulder. The two, human and dragon, traveled together.
As Alphonse walked through the palace, he noticed an unusual calm.
He was in a courtyard surrounded by many huge tree trunks.
This is a royal backyard, an Eden that only royalty and nobility are entitled to enjoy.
The magical plants grew exceptionally lush, their almost radiant green color undiminished even by the darkness of night.
Tiny points of green light, like fireflies, slowly rose from the crevices of the tree trunk.
Alphonse had heard Priscilla mention in the past that she would come to the courtyard for a walk whenever she was in a bad mood, such as after being scolded by her father.
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