Chapter 925: The Emperor’s Eyes Come for Velvet!

Velvet didn’t bother keeping the poster.

After speaking with Serena, she returned to her usual duties, though the thought of someone offering money for her capture remained irritating.

’Those damned humans...’

She remembered the past, when the nobles of Grigor treated her like some beautiful ornament or political tool, deciding who she should marry and what she should do. That’s why she took up the lance and continued to fight as a knight.

But thankfully, things were different now.

She was no longer that weak princess with no power.

She was one of the Demon Emperor’s wives, a powerful demoness who could fight alongside the other women rather than hiding behind their husband.

"Lady Velvet!"

"Hm?"

A young Valkyrie approached her near the entrance to the training grounds. The woman carried a collection of documents listing the new weapons and materials delivered from the artisan district.

"We’ve finished inspecting the morning shipments. Shall we distribute the equipment?"

"Mhm. But I want to examine the weapons before you hand them over."

"Understood!"

Velvet smiled and followed the knight.

The underground training grounds were already filled with the sounds of combat. Hundreds of Valkyries practised with their weapons while others focused on refining their magic and physical techniques.

’Serena really does work them hard...’

She couldn’t help but feel impressed.

Yet the thought of someone attempting to kidnap her from a place like this almost seemed ridiculous.

Even without Serena or Lumina, these women possessed enough strength to overthrow a small kingdom.

’Unless they aren’t planning to fight us directly.’

Velvet stopped.

Something felt strange.

Her purple eyes shifted towards the rows of equipment laid across several tables. Most were ordinary weapons made by Lumeria’s artisans, but a handful of shields and swords seemed to carry an unusual trace of mana.

"Hm?"

She stepped closer.

A beautiful silver sword rested atop the table.

The weapon itself wasn’t particularly special. Its quality was decent, and the mana flowing through its enchantments appeared normal at first glance.

However...

"Why is the mana moving in such a distorted way?"

The enchantment wasn’t drawing energy from the atmosphere into the sword, but rather, slowly and almost unnoticeably, seemed to absorb it directly from the surrounding Valkyrie and knights.

"Who delivered these?"

The Valkyrie glanced towards the documents.

"A merchant caravan from Grigor, Lady Velvet. They arrived with the other supplies."

"Where are the merchants?"

"They should still be inside the receiving courtyard."

Velvet immediately placed the sword down.

"Don’t let anyone touch these weapons. Inform Serena and have the other shipments checked."

"Yes!"

The knight hurried away.

Velvet remained beside the table for several seconds, examining the strange enchantment again.

It wasn’t an ordinary curse.

There was no obvious corruption or harmful mana.

Rather, the weapon seemed designed to remember something.

’What are you collecting...?’

She turned towards the entrance.

However, the moment she moved, a strange sensation travelled beneath her feet.

Click!

The floor trembled.

Several silver lines appeared across the stone, spreading from the weapons towards the walls and pillars surrounding the training grounds.

’Teleportation magic?!’

Her eyes widened.

"Fuck!"

Velvet recognised the formation instantly.

She remembered what happened when the Emperor’s Eyes fought the Black Dragon Order and Imperial Guard before.

Those bastards loved using traps.

"EVERYONE, GET BACK!"

Her shout echoed across the chamber.

The nearest Valkyries immediately reacted, abandoning their weapons and retreating towards the opposite side of the arena.

But Velvet didn’t have enough time.

WOOOOSH!

A brilliant white light erupted beneath her feet.

She tried to force her mana through the formation, disrupting the enchantment before it could activate. Yet the moment her magic touched the silver lines, they suddenly changed colour.

The new golden lines increased tenfold, wrapping the formation and Velvet’s body.

The surrounding space twisted.

For a brief moment, Velvet felt something pulling against her body, as if several invisible hands had grabbed her arms and legs.

Then the training grounds disappeared.

***

BOOM!

Velvet crashed against a stone wall.

"Ngh...!"

Fragments of rock scattered around her as she forced herself upright, her beautiful purple eyes narrowing while she examined the unfamiliar surroundings.

It resembled an abandoned quarry.

High stone walls surrounded a wide clearing filled with broken equipment and several ruined buildings. There weren’t any workers, guards or monsters nearby.

’Where am I?!’

She could barely sense Lumeria in the distance.

The distance wasn’t particularly great, but something around the quarry interfered with the mana flowing through her connection to Asmodeus.

Velvet slowly rose to her feet.

Her clothes were damaged from the sudden transportation, though her body hadn’t suffered much.

"Come out."

There was no answer.

She examined the ground, which led her to several small pillars that surrounded the clearing, each carrying the same golden markings she’d seen beneath the weapons.

’A barrier...’

Now she understood. The strange enchantment wasn’t meant to kill anyone. It was meant to transport whoever examined the weapons.

And she’d walked straight into it.

"Haa... how embarrassing.

No, maybe it was aiming for me from the start..."

The conversation Serena shared with Asmodeus replayed in her mind word for word as the empress told it. That’s when things started to come together, as if waiting for that moment to arrive...

A light tapping sounded from the ruined building ahead.

Three figures emerged from the shadows.

They wore long black cloaks covering most of their bodies and armour, while hiding their faces with masks shaped like animals.

One resembled a wolf, another a fox, while the third wore the face of a wild boar.

Velvet’s expression changed immediately.

"...You bastards."

The Emperor’s Eyes.

She remembered them far too well.

The woman wearing the fox mask stepped forward.

"Well, well, well, we meet again. Queen Velvet, former princess of Grigor."

"Hmph."

Velvet folded her arms.

"So you’ve finally shown yourselves. What do you want?"

"You’re coming with us."

"..."

Velvet stared at the masked woman.

Then slowly smiled.

"Do you have any idea whose territory you’re standing in? The moment he learns of this, you and your pathetic little empire will burn."

The woman didn’t answer.

Instead, the two figures beside her moved apart.

Their movements were coordinated, and Velvet immediately noticed the strange chains wrapped around their wrists.

’Those things...’

The chains weren’t ordinary metal.

Mana flowed through their links, reacting to the barrier surrounding the quarry.

Velvet understood the situation.

They weren’t trying to defeat her in a fair battle.

Their goal was to restrain her long enough to escape.

"Capture her."

The fox-masked woman gave the order.

Clang!

Two chains shot towards Velvet.

She immediately jumped backwards, her feet crushing the loose stones beneath her before a burst of demonic mana erupted from her body.

"How fucking arrogant!"

Her fingers transformed into sharp claws.

The first chain struck the wall behind her, shattering several stones as its links tightened around the rock.

Velvet grabbed the second.

CRACK!

Her claws sank into the enchanted metal.

At first, the mana wrapping the chain resisted with a strong undulation of energy.

But then her aura exploded in a lavender explosion, shattering the walls around the entire cavern. Her force slammed against the walls with such power that the space inside almost doubled.

"...?!"

The boar-masked figure stumbled as the sudden force pulled him forward.

Velvet didn’t hesitate.

She stepped towards him and drove her fist into his stomach.

BOOM!

His body flew backwards, crashing through the nearest ruined building.

The stone wall collapsed.

’Hmph... weaklings.’

Yet despite her success, Velvet didn’t feel a sense of victory or relief. The fox-masked woman hadn’t moved, nor had she spoken or made any signs of frustration at Velvet’s actions or success.

Something was wrong.

Velvet suddenly felt a cold sensation around her wrist.

"Huh?"

A small golden marking appeared beneath her skin.

The broken chain had left something behind.

’Shit!’

Before she could examine it, the remaining chain wrapped around her ankle.

Her body jerked sideways.

Thud!

Velvet caught herself with one hand before the wolf-masked figure tried to pull her towards the centre of the formation.

She immediately released another burst of mana.

However, the golden mark around her wrist suddenly brightened.

"Ngh...?!"

’Why does it grow stronger whenever I use my mana?"

Her mana became difficult to control. The amount didn’t decrease or vanish, it just became wild and untamed as the connection grew distant. Velvet felt like she was reaching out through iron bars desperately to catch it.

But something kept interfering whenever she tried to release a large amount.

’So that’s what those things do!’

Velvet clenched her teeth.

The masked figures weren’t particularly strong compared to her.

But their equipment had clearly been prepared for someone with demonic mana.

"Don’t damage her unnecessarily," the fox-masked woman ordered. "With this reaction, we’ve proved she’s of draconic blood... His Majesty should be pleased.

Velvet’s eyes widened as she started to lose composure.

’They need me alive.’

Then she realised something else.

If these people wanted her dead, they could’ve filled the quarry with explosives or attacked her the moment she arrived.

Instead, they were attempting to capture her without causing serious injuries.

’Then let’s see how long you can keep this up!’

Velvet pulled against the chain.

Her muscles tightened.

The wolf-masked figure suddenly stumbled forward as the strength of her body overwhelmed the enchantment.

"Impossible!"

"Shut up! I won’t become an obstacle to my husband!"

Velvet grabbed his arm.

CRUNCH!

The sound of shattered bone echoed through the quarry: "Arghhhhhhh!" His scream barely escaped before she threw him across the clearing. But it was that moment the fox-masked woman seemed to have been waiting for as a small crystal appeared between her fingers.

"Enough, you fat-chested slut."

Velvet’s eyes widened.

The fox shattered the crystal, and the entire world drowned in endless gold.

’Another teleportation stone?!’

In her last moment of clarity, Velvet could only scream.

"ASMODEUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"