Chapter 345: The traitor.

Trinity left the tournament right after the second half. Honestly, she couldn’t stand the humiliation for another second, sitting up on that giant high-backed throne alone, looking like a total loser while the crowd whispered. She didn’t like it when they whispered about her. This was Sabrina Kaelion’s season to be humiliated, not hers!

The moment her boots hit the smooth white marble of the sanctum, Julia rushed up to her, holding a tablet like a shield.

"Divine maiden! The attendance reports are in for the missing leaders," Julia said, practically running to keep pace with Trinity’s angry stomping.

"Explain," Trinity snapped, tearing off her heavy golden cloak and throwing it onto the floor. "Where is everyone? Why were those seats empty!?"

Julia cleared her throat nervously and glanced down at her notes. "Well_ High Commander Volkregin sent a message saying he had a sudden stomachache and couldn’t leave his bed. He claims he ate some bad noodles."

"A stomachache?" Trinity turned around, her eyes wide. "The man can slay 10 beasts in a minute but a bad bowl of noodles kept him from my tournament?"

"Right," Julia squeaked. "And Her Ladyship Valary Turnip’s representative claimed she had an emergency surgery last night."

Trinity stopped in her tracks, leaning in close. "Surgery? Julia, is that even a real thing? Is she actually sick?"

Julia shrugged, pulling her shoulders all the way up to her ears. "Honestly, Mistress? We can’t confirm it. One of the spies we keep in her residence says she had some kind of facial surgical procedure scheduled. It could be as simple as as applying a face mask."

"Unbelievable!" Trinity muttered.

"It gets worse," Julia muttered under her breath. "The Iron Regent, Gregory Goch_ his assistant sent a short note saying he simply ’wasn’t in the mood’ today. He already knows who is winning anyway, so he can miss a few fights."

"He wasn’t in the mood!? Do they think I enjoy any of this!" Trinity yelled, her jaw dropping.

"And Jackson Hughes is completely unreachable," Julia added quickly, taking a step back just in case Trinity decided to throw something. "His phone just goes straight to voicemail. Apparently, he has been sacred of catching the plague and going out less and less often."

"AHHH!" Trinity screamed so loudly the crystal chandelier above them rattled. The veins in her neck thumped like angry earthworms. She kicked a nearby ornamental vase, sending it crashing into the wall.

"I curse them! I curse all of their ancestors for ten generations!" she raged, pacing back and forth across the room like a trapped tiger. "They did this on purpose! They wanted to humiliate me in front of the whole world!" Then, suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. The anger vanished from her face, replaced by a cold, sharp look.

"Wait," Trinity whispered, narrowing her eyes. "This doesn’t make sense. These old foxes love playing politics and some were not happy that the victory is not going to their clans, but none of them would risk offending me at the same time unless_"

"Unless they know something we don’t," Julia offered, nodding in agreement. "It’s too coordinated."

A crisp, bright chime echoed from Julia’s pocket. She pulled out phone, tapped the screen, and froze. Her eyes went as wide as saucers.

"What is it now?" Trinity asked, rubbing her temples. "Did someone else send an excuse?"

"No..." Julia stammered, looking up from the glass screen. "Security just reported an informant at the main gates. They claim_ they claim someone in the Wildlands is calling themselves the True Divine Maiden."

Trinity let out a long, exhausted groan and slapped her own forehead. "Great. Fantastic. My day just went from absolute garbage to a complete circus." She slumped back into her padded armchair and gestured lazily toward the entrance. "Bring this clown in. Let’s hear what kind of nonsense he’s selling."

A few minutes later, the doors creaked open. A man walked in, wearing dusty, worn-out clothes that smelled faintly of campfire smoke. His boots were covered in dry mud, but his eyes were locked straight onto Trinity.

The moment he reached the center of the hall, he flopped straight onto the ground, slamming his forehead against the floor with a loud thud.

"O Great and Mighty Divine Maiden!" he yelled into the carpet. "This humble peasant identifies himself as Lucian Gormand! I have risked my life to be here."

Trinity glanced at his dusty clothes, then looked at Julia, then back at the man. "Alright, Lucian. Get up and speak. What’s this big secret?"

Lucian raised his head just a few inches, squinting up at her. "Before I give you this earth-shattering news, I....I want something in return."

Trinity burst out laughing. It was a loud, mockingly mean laugh that bounced off the walls. "Of course!" She cackled, clutching her stomach. "You peasants are all the same! You come crawling in here with dirt on your knees, but you still want to make a deal! Fine, spit it out. What do you want? Food? Energy stones? A half-life beast egg? A change in your status? A house, a car. Admission for your poor low-born soul maiden daughter to the 7 academy." She raised her voice and commanded sternly. "Speak."

Lucian swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly. "I want a full divine pardon for my family, My Lady. A year ago, my brother joined a heist crew that attempted to break into the Sanctum. When he got caught, you banished the entire Gormand family to the Wildlands, calling us accomplices! We’ve been living in the dirt eating dry bread ever since!"

Trinity waved her fingers dismissively, looking entirely bored. "If your information is actually useful, I’ll clear your family’s criminal record right now. You can come back and live wherever you want by next week. Deal?"

Lucian’s heart pounded. Honestly, he felt zero guilt about what he was about to do. Sure, Zyra had helped them somehow, but she had rejected his request for Twigs Blue crossing to be part of her territory. As long as they had no protection from a big shot, they were sitting ducks. He might as well use her name to buy his way back to a nice house with indoor plumbing.

"Speak already!" Julia barked, stepping forward and crossing her arms. "The divine maiden doesn’t have all day!"

Lucian took a deep breath, looked Trinity straight in the eyes, and delivered the blow.

"Zyra Scorpion is alive and well in the Wildlands," Lucian announced loudly. "And she just crowned herself the True Divine Maiden!"

Silence fell over the room.

Trinity stared at him, her mouth slowly popping open in absolute disbelief. "She did what?!"