Chapter 403 - 324: Demon’s Sneak Attack?

"Are you saying there's something wrong with the Eye of the Sky?"

"The Eye of the Sky is fine. It's just an ordinary piece of jewelry. The problem is the Second Prince." Vivian frowned. "When I took the jewelry from his hand, the ring instantly became scalding hot. It nearly burned me. If I hadn't pretended to be astonished by the jewelry, I might have given myself away."

"You're saying the Second Prince is the big problem?" Uncle Musa asked. He was now certain that the Third Prince, Theodore, was the one who had framed the Merlot Clan, but he didn't understand why the Second Prince would also trigger a reaction from the magic item.

Vivian nodded and said gravely, "I asked my teacher, Affif, about it later. He told me that if the ring gets that hot, it means the Second Prince has a very close relationship with some strange individuals."

"Strange individuals? Assassins? Or something else?"

"Demons. And not low-ranking ones, either," Vivian slowly relayed her teacher's answer. ℯℓ.

"The Second Prince has close ties to Demons?" Uncle Musa was surprised. "But he's a Prince of the Fran Royal Family, the current heir apparent, and praised by everyone in Plantagenet City. How could he be involved with Demons?"

The news was indeed hard to believe. After all, the infamy of Demons was common knowledge. The Northern Fortress, the "Giant Nest," had been built for the sole purpose of preventing the Demon Army from crossing the Boundary Wall.

Now, the Kingdom's next King had intricate ties to Demons. If this were true, it would be tantamount to a brilliantly orchestrated sneak attack.

"I don't know either. I just haven't had many opportunities to get close to the Second Prince again since then," Vivian said, biting her lip in frustration. "After all, I can't be too obvious, or I'll make others suspicious."

"You're doing the right thing. Safety comes first," Uncle Musa immediately reassured her.

"But I think there will be more chances in the future. As long as I'm the Second Prince's Magic Consultant, I'll have opportunities to get close to him and find out what he's hiding." A flicker of determination crossed Vivian's eyes, and she even looked eager for the challenge.

"All of this must be predicated on your safety," Uncle Musa said sternly.

"I understand, Uncle." Vivian nodded. "By the way, I saw Archbishop Konrad again."

She hesitated for a couple of seconds before continuing, "He asked about my brother again. He was very subtle about it, but he still brought it up. I think something's off."

"Archbishop Konrad? Could it have been just a polite inquiry? After all, he used to have a very good relationship with the Merlot Clan and often met with the old lord. He even stepped in and used the Church's name as a guarantee for the loans to build the port and the Commerce Bank. There shouldn't be any problem with him, right?" Uncle Musa said, also confused.

"I'm not sure. Maybe I'm overthinking it. I tend to assume anyone who asks about my brother is a bad guy." Vivian shook her head and sighed softly. "He also cast a 'Destiny Blessing Technique' on me, saying it would bring good results when I encounter trouble. I didn't feel anything, though, and my two teachers used magic to check. They didn't detect any malicious intent."

"In that case, just keep an eye on it," Uncle Musa said after a moment of thought. "I'll tell the young master about this. Maybe he'll know why Archbishop Konrad is doing this."

Their conversation concluded after a little more talk. Seeing that their meeting had gone on for too long, they reminded each other to "be careful," and Vivian put on her leather trench coat and left through the side door of the building.

The trench coat was a little ill-fitting, but it wasn't a major issue. After rounding a corner, Vivian grasped the Magic Crystal Stone on the collar with both hands. With a WHOOSH, she vanished into the crowd on the street.

Immediately after, a figure on a nearby rooftop stood up. "Huh? Where'd she go?"

Elma pulled back the hood of her cloak, her eyes widening as she scanned the crowd on the street. "I just saw her. How did she disappear just by turning a corner?"

'Could it be an Invisibility Technique?' she muttered to herself, puzzled. 'I knew there was something strange about that girl.'

After speaking, she turned and leaped off the three-story building, her body floating gently down to the ground. Then, she hurried into the vacant building where Vivian and Uncle Musa had just met.

There wasn't a soul inside. The vacant, two-story building was much like the one she lived in—a bit old, but clearly just unrented and cleaned regularly.

'No one else is here?' Elma thought as she surveyed the room. 'Was she just here to look at the property? Then where's the real estate agent?'

She searched the entire house but found nothing. Frustrated, she said resentfully, "I knew there was something secretive about this Miss 'White Shell.' Looks like I'll have to keep a closer eye on her."

With that, she left the house, completely oblivious to the white Stone Ring on the floor.

...

"Failed again?" The High Priest shot to his feet, staring in shock at Bald Hide. "I knew there was something wrong with those goblins."

"You took 2,000 goblins and over 100 Petrifying Lizards with you this time! There are less than 20 lizards left in the entire Kingdom, and you still lost?"

He gripped his Bone Staff, so unsteady from his sudden movement that he nearly lost his balance. The High Priest managed to steady himself as Bald Hide immediately dropped to his knees and shouted, "Those goblins are tough to deal with! They brought out a lot of new things we've never seen before. I think... maybe the Naga Race helped them."

"The Naga Race?" The High Priest narrowed his eyes. "Those swimming fish from the lake... have they really allied themselves with that goblin faction?"

After the last failure, Bald Hide had reported the appearance of an Ice Magic Array, but the High Priest hadn't readily believed him. After all, Ice Magic wasn't a particularly special Magic Effect. Besides, the Naga Race lived in Darren Lake, a great distance from Shire's tribe. It was highly unlikely the two groups would get mixed up together.

But now, Bald Hide was stating clearly that he had seen a Naga by Shire's side, one who was acting very respectfully. This made the High Priest wonder, 'How did these two groups get together?'

"Now that they're allied, it will be very difficult for us to defeat them," Bald Hide said, looking up at the High Priest. "Should we report this to the Feathered Serpent Divine Being and ask it to intervene? To descend with its Anger and annihilate them?"

"The Feathered Serpent has fallen into a deep slumber. Do not disturb it unless it is for something truly important." The High Priest shook his head, rejecting Bald Hide's suggestion.

Then, leaning on his Bone Staff, he slowly descended from his high seat. "Since these two groups have come together, we will do nothing for now."

"The Kingdom's goblin population has already been reduced by more than half. It will take a very long time to return to our previous numbers," the High Priest said, looking down at the kneeling Bald Hide. "You mentioned before that those Dongtou caused problems again in this battle?"

"Yes, High Priest," Bald Hide nodded quickly, speaking with the frustration of one dealing with incompetents. "I spent a lot of time trying to use 'a bit of wisdom,' as you often say. But those Dongtou are too stupid! They were completely incapable of understanding my battle plans. They were still arguing about meal times right before the fight, which led directly to us being ambushed by the enemy."

He cursed the Dongtou several more times before continuing, "I think if we want to defeat those goblins, our only option is to wait for the Feathered Serpent to end its slumber and act personally."

The High Priest looked at Bald Hide's "sincere" face, unable to detect any sign of guilt. He then sighed and said languidly, "You're right. For goblins, wisdom is indeed exceptionally rare."

"Yes, they are not like me. I possess wisdom—" Bald Hide said immediately.

Unfortunately, the High Priest cut him off. "You are just like them. You're all idiots. You're just slightly less obvious about it."

"Forget it. You may go." He waved his hand, dismissing Bald Hide. "We will discuss this matter again after the Feathered Serpent awakens."

Then he turned his back, paying no mind to Bald Hide's retreating footsteps.

'At least,' he thought, 'the Kingdom won't have to drive out any members for a long time.'