Chapter 494: Smooth Advance into the Tower

Outside the banquet hall.

After the servants finished clearing away the remaining trash and debris, they sat down nearby to rest.

Ashe and the others exchanged glances. Moving their bodies, they quickly realized that the shackles binding them to their assigned positions were truly gone.

The plan was brutally simple. Restricted by their assigned roles, all they needed to do was eliminate those roles. If a company went bankrupt, how could it force anyone to keep working?

That was why Evelyn and Nona had staged such an impressive fight, turning the banquet venue directly into a crime scene.

For them, there was no real risk involved. Aside from some damage to their reputation, the worst outcome was paying compensation. The Belldet and Senheiser families lacked many things, but money certainly was not one of them.

Things had progressed exactly as planned. The Empress had chosen to cancel the banquet entirely. Naturally, the servants responsible were no longer required to work. As a result, they entered a state of standby, temporarily gaining the freedom to slack off.

Without the restrictions of their positions, and while still inside the imperial palace, they could finally head to the tower and abduct the Princess.

Just then, a muffled, hoarse voice came from behind. "Perfect timing. Come with me."

Ashe and the others froze. Turning around, they saw a black-armored Secret Guard standing on the stone path.

She seemed to be heading somewhere to carry out a task. Noticing a group of stray workers sitting by the roadside, she had apparently decided to add them to her detail.

Their plan, full of loopholes and barely holding together, had stumbled all the way to the finish line, only to encounter this inexplicable accident at the very last moment.

Pankey no longer cared about maintaining their disguise. Suppressing his emotions as much as possible, he asked, "What are we supposed to do? Do you really need this many people for it?"

The Secret Guard glanced strangely at the blue-haired butler. "Hmm?"

The members of the Funeral Agency immediately tensed up.

However, the Secret Guard didn't seem suspicious about an obedient servant suddenly questioning an order. Instead, she patiently explained, "Of course I need this many people. We are going to clean the new Empress's room. Come on."

The new Empress?!

Annan and the others exchanged glances. In that brief moment, countless possibilities flashed through Annan's mind. Is the Secret Guard taking us to see the Princess? According to the palace map, we are heading in the complete opposite direction from the tower. Has the Isa Imperial Family moved the Princess somewhere else at the last minute? Or is she required to dress and prepare herself in a new room before the coronation, appearing at the banquet only after the Gospel Ranking is revealed?

Regardless, their bodies had already obeyed the Secret Guard's command and stood up.

At that moment, Annan and the others widened their eyes in surprise.

Ashe was still sitting in his chair. They looked at him with delighted expressions. Follow the original plan.

Annan conveyed the message with her eyes before following the Secret Guard away with the rest of the group.

Ashe did not dare move. Only after they vanished around the corner did he finally stand up.

He had no idea why he had been left out of the Secret Guard's group. Was it because of the Silver Blessing, Watcher's Countenance? Did the Secret Guard just fail to notice me? Or was it the power of the Gold Blessing, Hearer's Sorrow? Since her intention to interrupt my slacking off counted as "malicious overtime," was that thought erased? Or did the Mysterious Authority work its magic again? Since I'm sitting right next to the trash bins, covered in oil and cake... did she mistake me for garbage, too?

Regardless of the reason, Ashe was free now.

He took only a few steps before spotting Lys peeking out from around the corner of a wall. With that, the father and daughter duo successfully reunited.

Compared to Ashe and the others, Lys's infiltration had been ridiculously simple. The imperial banquets always hired children to liven up the atmosphere. Their job was simply to eat, drink, and bring joy to the occasion.

Since the Gospel controlling someone just to eat and make merry made no sense, her role was not technically considered work. Thus, Lys never entered the state of a Gospel employee.

When the banquet ended early, the other children were sent home ahead of schedule. Lys had taken the opportunity to sneak over and find Ashe.

When Ashe first suggested bringing Lys into the operation, Pankey and Iger had both opposed the idea without a second thought. Harvey abstained, while Annan remained on the fence, choosing instead to speak with Ashe privately.

At the time, Ashe had prepared himself to sacrifice his dignity and bribe his superior with his charm.

However, Annan had only asked, quite seriously, whether he had thought things through.

Once Ashe gave her a firm answer, Annan told him to order Lys not to reveal anything or expose their operation. Only then did she allow Lys to participate.

It was only afterward that Ashe realized why he had assumed Annan would oppose it.

He had assumed Annan would care about Lys's safety the same way he did. But in reality, as long as Lys did not interfere with the plan, Annan did not mind letting her accompany them through the Funeral Agency's final adventure.

Naturally, she had considered Ashe's feelings as well. When Harvey shamelessly hoped Alice could work part-time as a servant to remain by his side at all times, Annan had immediately rejected the idea.

Holding Lys's hand, Ashe sneaked along the paths between the palace buildings. As they moved, he briefly explained what had happened earlier and offered a guess. "Do you think your Sister Nina might no longer be in the tower?"

Lys hesitated. She glanced at the hand mirror, speaking somewhat nervously. "Before Sister Nina moved into the tower, she lived in the basement the entire time. Maybe Aunt Annan and the others are going there to clean the basement now. That would still count as Sister Nina's room."

The basement? Is the Isa Imperial Family's educational philosophy to raise their children in extreme modesty? Still... a girl living in a basement? Why does that setting sound strangely familiar?

The two moved through the shadows. Unbelievably lucky along the way, they did not encounter a single servant or guard.

Several minutes later, their destination finally came into view. The target tower.

At that moment, Lys suddenly let out a small cry. "Ah! There are guards stationed at the bottom of the White Tower!"

"I'll handle it," Ashe spoke with complete confidence. "A few guards are nothing. I can deal with them. Unless—"

"They might be Sacred Realm sorcerers," Lys said, tightly grabbing his sleeve. "The captain of the guard is a Sacred Realm sorcerer. Tonight is such an important occasion, so it wouldn't be impossible for the captain to personally stand watch."

Ashe twitched the corner of his mouth. Sacred Realm...

By now, he could technically be considered half a Sacred Realm sorcerer himself, but he was still aware of the insurmountable gap between him and an actual practitioner of that tier. Forget defeating one. If he encountered a Sacred Realm sorcerer proficient in the Space Class, Ashe could be killed instantly.

Many sorcery classes saw fundamental improvements once combined with the Space Class. Consequently, the sorcerers' fighting styles became far more unpredictable and difficult to defend against.

For example, the Swordswoman had once pointed out that a Fist and Claw Sacred Realm sorcerer possessed a Miracle capable of reaching across a distance to pull out someone's heart. A Sacred Realm sorcerer fighting those below their level was simply too one-sided. Only by constructing a Sacred Realm could someone defend against these impossible-to-guard Space Class Miracles.

"I'll find a way to lure the guards away. When that happens, figure out how to go up and bring your sister out."

"Daddy, can you defeat a Sacred Realm sorcerer?"

"I'm not confident."

"Then what will you do?"

Ashe gently patted Lys's head. "If everything you do in life requires certainty, I'd probably still be sitting in prison right now, discussing with Iger how to make Lala Fat taste better. Don't worry. I'm not an idiot. I won't fight them head-on. Once I lure the guards away, I'll run."

"Really?" Lys looked at him sorrowfully. "You're really not an idiot?"

"..." Ashe narrowed his eyes. "I'll remember that. I'll have Annan spank you later."

"But if you're not an idiot, why are you so good to me?" The closer they got to their destination, the heavier Lys's heart became. "You risked your life for my sister, and worked so hard for my wish..."

"Setting aside the fact that this is all Annan's mission..." Ashe crouched down and gently hugged the melancholic white-haired girl. "I'm kind to you because you deserve it."

"Am I really that good? Am I the best little girl?"

"To be honest, Leia is still a little better than you."

Lys reached out and pinched Ashe's cheek. "Hmph. You're not allowed to like other girls!"

Ashe laughed helplessly. "Don't make it sound like I'm committing a crime. I see you as family. Come on, we don't have much time. Don't keep your sister waiting."

Strangely enough, despite those being nothing more than meaningless words, the gloom in Lys's heart completely disappeared. In its place, a faint sense of hope emerged.

Perhaps the reason Lys had chosen Ashe inside the Four Pillars Cult's underground hall was because of this indescribable sense of reassurance he gave people.

When they approached Lake Yalan, they realized that their earlier discussion had been completely unnecessary. There were no guards beneath the tower.

There were no boats on the lake either, but Ashe possessed the Sword Class Miracle Bidirectional Rush. Carrying Lys in his arms, he teleported straight across.

The white doves surrounding the island in the middle of the lake curiously watched the two uninvited guests.

Ashe and Lys carefully approached the tower entrance. There were no guards outside, but there had to be some inside. After all, it was impossible that no one was protecting the Princess.

However, when Ashe pushed open the door, prepared to slaughter his way through, he discovered that the inside of the tower was empty as well. The eternal lamps burned brightly, the floor was spotless, but there were no signs that anyone actually lived here. Ashe looked at the spiral staircase winding upward along the tower walls, searching for traces of enemies. Could the guards be hiding inside the passageways?

That was when he noticed Lys staring at the passage leading downward. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lys said, glancing at the hand mirror. "I just didn't know this tower had a basement..."

Ashe reminded her, "It's normal for buildings to have basements to maximize space. Stay close to me. A battle could break out in these passages at any moment."

Lys nodded. With that, the two carefully climbed the tower.

A minute later, Ashe and Lys stood facing each other outside the room on the highest floor. They were both stunned. This was far too easy. There were no guards, no alarms, no obstacles. They had essentially reached the end without any resistance whatsoever. This complete lack of defense could only mean one thing. There was no one here needing protection.

Lys murmured, "Could it be that Sister Nina really isn't in the tower?"

Ashe tried to reassure her. "If she really is somewhere else, Annan and the others will definitely find a way to bring me there. After all, I'm a necessary piece because of the invalid ranking. We still have a chance."

Lys nodded and turned her gaze toward the door.

This was Little Witch's first time here, but with her other sisters having been imprisoned inside this place for years, her body instinctively reacted with a strange sense of familiarity.

They could be certain there was no one inside. Still, coming all this way and not checking would be foolish. Ashe turned the handle, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.