Volume 9, Chapter 53 – Adonis’s Test

“Alright, let’s talk about those two insects from the Divine Religion again. Where are they?”

“This…” Hesitating for a moment, Bradley looked towards the open palace doors at the sky outside—nothing seemed amiss. “They haven’t been discovered by the guards yet. Your Majesty and I have been conversing for quite some time now. Those two insects should have already passed the first gate and reached the second checkpoint.”

“Hehe, that’s why I said you’re too confident, Bradley. Those two insects are, after all, attendants to the Divine Religion’s Hero. Although they haven’t even reached the quasi-heroic domain, if they lacked any strength themselves, they wouldn’t have been worthy of being chosen by that thing called the Gospel.”

Looking guilty, Bradley bowed deeply to Adonis.

“My deepest apologies, Your Majesty. I will reprimand Carl for you afterwards. To allow assassins to enter the royal city undetected, even passing the first gate…”

Adonis held up a hand, palm facing Bradley.

“No need. Just inform Carl that this happened. He will naturally understand our meaning.”

“Then, shall this test continue?”

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The so-called test referred to the plan devised by Adonis and Bradley. Since Adonis unified the empire, the nation’s strength had grown daily, and no one dared to infiltrate the royal city to assassinate her anymore. After a long period, Bradley began to doubt the capabilities of the Royal Guard—whether they still maintained vigilance and fulfilled their duties constantly.

However, the royal city’s defense was the responsibility of another important minister, General Carl, currently one of the empire’s three powerhouses beyond the hero’s domain. Carl had a rigorous personality and demanded exceptional standards from his subordinates. If Bradley made baseless criticisms, it would indirectly imply Carl’s incompetence in training, potentially causing conflict between them. As some of Adonis’s most trusted individuals, they naturally had to avoid such situations.

Thus, Bradley could only keep these doubts to himself, unable to voice them easily. However, things took a turn recently. The network of spies Bradley had established detected Red and Purple and learned of their plot to assassinate Adonis. After reporting the matter fully to Adonis, Bradley casually mentioned his concerns about the Royal Guard’s potential laxity, leading to the formulation of this plan: not informing the guards in advance about the assassins, allowing Red and Purple to infiltrate the royal city, thereby testing the guards’ performance.

Bradley’s worried expression made Adonis chuckle lightly.

“Bradley, weren’t you the one who devised this plan? Why are you becoming so timid now that it’s actually being implemented?”

“Er, I merely wanted an opportunity to restore the Royal Guard’s vigilance. Now that those two insects have bypassed the guards’ watch and entered the royal city, I have a reason to reorganize the guard. If we let them continue, and they actually reach Your Majesty’s presence, it would be disastrous.”

“They’d have to have the strength to reach me first. Since we decided to test the Royal Guard, we must see it through to the end. I want to see just how many of the guards I personally selected these two insects can bypass. If those two insects can truly evade the guard and come before me, it proves they possess some capability. If they are willing to submit to me, I might even consider abandoning the northern war.”

Arrogantly crossing one leg over the other, Adonis propped her head with one hand, her right hand gently tapping the armrest of the throne. The war against the Duchy of Chloe didn’t mean she was solely focused on eliminating the Divine Religion. In this war, the Duchy was merely a speck of cream on the cake. The main reason Adonis initiated this war was to gradually expand the empire’s territory. Although she had accomplished the great feat of unifying the empire, she felt her prestige was still insufficient to command universal respect—she was too young. Compared to increasing her prestige by modifying various domestic policies, accumulating it through external warfare was certainly more convenient and faster.

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Besides this reason, the other was to divert the attention of the empire’s high ministers. As her earlier conversation with Bradley indicated, everyone within the empire, from the common folk to the court, was focused on the Emperor’s marriage. The various rumors were like a giant stone pressing on Adonis’s chest, making it almost hard to breathe. Yet she knew people were speaking the truth, and she had no reason to refute them. Therefore, Adonis needed the pretext of war to postpone the marriage issue.

As for why the northern small countries were chosen as opponents, there was only one reason—they were weak and easy to annex. The Fairy homeland and the Phantom Beast Cloud Sea in the south were formidable powers; attacking rashly might instead cause losses for the empire. The Blood Clan Hyurent to the east… the noble faction secretly supported by the empire had been utterly defeated, losing the best opportunity for attack. Additionally, due to geography, there hadn’t been conflict between the Blood Clan and the Empire for nearly a century. Angering the Blood Clan now might plunge the empire into a two-front war. Thus, the northern small countries became the most suitable target for shifting the internal pressure.

“Your Majesty, how can this be! If the world learns that Your Majesty has taken assassins into your service, wouldn’t it encourage more people to attempt assassination in the future? What should be done then?”

“I have my own plans, Bradley. How many people do you think can pass through the heavy defenses and reach my presence? If there are any, they must be the crème de la crème ¹ the best person or thing of a particular kind. of talents. The empire needs such people for the future.”

“But—”

Boom!

Just as Bradley spoke, a violent explosion sounded from outside the hall. Even sitting on the throne, Adonis could feel the earth tremble. However, this palace was protected by a barrier capable of withstanding a direct hit from Tier 7 magic; no dust fell from the ceiling.

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The smile on her face grew more unrestrained. Adonis gestured outwards with her chin.

“The insects—no, we should call them rats now. The rats have been discovered. Bradley, help me ask the people below where the explosion occurred.”

“Yes.”

Bradley took out a magic scroll from his pocket. But before he could use it, rapid footsteps approached from outside the hall door.

A burly man, clad head-to-toe in armor, hurried into the main hall and knelt on one knee. In the Norta Empire, everyone entering the main hall had to surrender their weapons to the guards outside. But this man was an exception. He bore the responsibility of protecting the Emperor’s life. If he wanted to harm the Emperor, no number of guards could stop him.

“Your Majesty! Assassins have infiltrated the royal city! Please relocate to the bedchambers immediately!”

Exchanging a smile with Bradley, Adonis beckoned to Carl, who was kneeling before her, signaling him to stand beside her.

“No need for formalities, Carl. Come here.”

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“But Your Majesty! The Royal Guard is still unclear how many enemies there are! The main hall is no longer safe!”

“Carl, do you not trust the subordinates you trained? Those guards were all brought up by you. You should trust them.”

The stern lines on his face turned awkward. Carl opened his mouth, then lowered his head and said with difficulty, “…Forgive my incompetence. Not only did I allow assassins to infiltrate the royal city undetected, but I don’t even know their numbers. After this incident, I will personally send the derelict guards to the tribunal!”

Adonis turned her head towards Bradley, giving him an ‘your objective is achieved’ look, then refocused on Carl.

“Yes, proceed as General Carl says. However, as the ruler of a nation, how can I hide in my bedchambers without even seeing the assassins’ shadows? I want to see if these assassins can truly reach my presence. Carl, you, I, and Bradley will remain in the main hall. This is my command as Adonis Eli Gloria.”

“This… As you command, Your Majesty.”

With extreme reluctance, Carl stood up, head lowered in shame, and slowly walked to Adonis’s side.