Volume 9, Chapter 55 – Camilla’s True Identity

After bringing Red, Purple, and Camilla out of the Norta Empire’s palace, and subsequently destroying the palace’s main hall with magic as a substantial punishment for the Empire, Yisi teleported directly to the outskirts of the Norta capital using [Advanced Teleportation].

Gently placing the still unconscious Red and Purple on the ground, Yisi let out a long breath. Although her stats were incredibly high in her Third Form Awakening, she still felt tired after continuously using various spectacular spells.

The fatigue wasn’t from massive magic power consumption, but purely mental exhaustion. The wide-area annihilation magic she used was of too high a tier. Even when aimed at the sky, a slight loss of control could easily affect the innocent populace below. Furthermore, magic that only had visual effects without causing destruction lacked deterrent power. Thus, she had to control some of the power to leak into the outskirts, undeveloped areas within the city, and uninhabited bell towers. Preventing collateral damage required a great deal of effort.

Although post-incident statistics would likely show that, apart from Carl and the Emperor, no one else was injured in this disaster, it wouldn’t stop the Imperials from fearing powerful magic. Especially since she had destroyed the main hall of the Imperial palace before leaving, which sufficiently demonstrated ‘Viel’s’ strength. Coupled with her words to Emperor Adonis—”This time is a warning”—as long as he was a king who cherished his life, he probably wouldn’t act so willfully and wickedly anymore.

Thinking this, Yisi glanced at Red and Purple lying on the ground, breathing steadily. Red, having been pierced through the abdomen by Carl’s final [Stone Spear], had lost a lot of blood. Even with healing magic, she would need a long time to recuperate. Purple was slightly better off, but due to overexerting herself, her mental strength, magic power, and stamina were all depleted. She likely wouldn’t wake up for at least a day. For these two, the assassination attempt was the last day of their lives, which was why they acted so recklessly.

If I had contacted Red and Purple immediately after arriving in the Empire this morning, instead of hiding behind them until they were defeated, they wouldn’t have suffered such severe injuries. Yisi couldn’t help but frown.

“No, this was necessary. If I had appeared from the start, it would have affected their resolve, ultimately preventing them from breaking free of the Gospel’s shackles.”

She had to make Red and Purple understand that they had already died once for the Gospel, fulfilling their duty. If she hadn’t appeared, they would have become two corpses. Of course, it was possible that after waking up, they might still talk about continuing to act for the Gospel, but she was prepared for that. Even if it made her seem cruel, it was necessary.

As for whether the Empire’s war of aggression would stop, Yisi wasn’t optimistic.

Setting aside her warning today, its timeliness wouldn’t stop the war—it would take time for the Empire’s truce declaration to reach the border from the capital, and in those few days, the Empire might have already forced their way into the Ducal Capital of Chloe using their powerhouse beyond the hero’s domain. Secondly, even if she forcefully stopped this war, she couldn’t fulfill her promise to Atwood: to free those cursed by the Gospel.

Thinking about what needed to be done next, Yisi gradually tensed. Then, a soft, warm sensation suddenly came from her hand.

Camilla had quietly taken it.

“Onee-sama, your expression… Did you see something unpleasant in that palace?”

Worry dotted her ruby-like eyes as Camilla slowly drew closer to Yisi.

Yisi gave a wry smile.

“I did see something unpleasant, but I wasn’t thinking about the palace just now. Before Red and Purple wake up, Camilla, I have something to discuss with you. More accurately, I need your help.”

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Yisi’s solemn expression made Camilla pause, then she looked away shyly, quietly observing the forest.

“Does Onee-sama… want me…?”

“…”

Her shy expression was indeed cute, but why would Camilla jump to that conclusion?

Yisi was momentarily speechless. She could only half-forcefully pull Camilla in front of her and whisper discreetly what she needed to say.

“…Sorry for making you play the villain, Camilla.”

“I may be a villain to them, but in Onee-sama’s eyes, I’m irreplaceable. Others’ opinions don’t matter at all. As long as Onee-sama thinks it’s good, I’m satisfied. After they wake up, I will cooperate with you. But why did you—”

“When the time is right, I will tell you, Camilla.”

“Promise?”

The way Camilla tilted her head slightly made Yisi smile wryly.

“Promise. But speaking of which, Camilla, I’ve wanted to ask since just now… that thing behind you… did it come with you when I brought you over?”

Leaning sideways, Yisi looked past Camilla at the colossal figure standing behind her.

Over fifty meters tall, covered in green flames, its form resembling a stone giant… it reminded Yisi of a summon she had seen before: the [Imperial Gift].

Whether in Celtic City facing the Imperial Fallen attacking Margaret, or during the defensive battle in the Blood Clan capital Alvier, she had seen this stone giant called the [Imperial Gift]. She had even captured a few as spoils. However, in her memory, this summon was a monster with its own consciousness. Yet the [Imperial Gift] standing behind Camilla now was like a puppet that only moved according to its master’s commands, completely motionless.

Her expression instantly froze. Camilla awkwardly twirled her hair, looking troubled and shy.

“Well… while I was waiting for Onee-sama on the palace spire, I found this puppet. I was originally going to destroy it, but while fiddling with it, I found it obeyed my commands. Thinking it might be helpful to Onee-sama, I didn’t destroy it. Maybe when Onee-sama brought me out, I was too close to it, so it came along with me…”

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“Obeys Camilla’s commands?”

Could this puppet be ownerless? In the golem creation methods she had read, it mentioned that some less intelligent golems without masters would treat the first person they saw as their master—for some reason, Laxy’s face suddenly popped into her head. Yisi quickly shook her head, banishing the strange thought. If this [Imperial Gift] was as described in the books, then it would explain why it obeyed Camilla.

That being said, Yisi had to confirm this [Imperial Gift] wasn’t just toying with Camilla. If it suddenly rebelled later and harmed her, its level 40+ strength posed a huge threat.

Thinking this, Yisi pointed at the motionless [Imperial Gift] behind Camilla.

“Camilla, try making it move.”

“Okay.” After obediently nodding to Yisi, Camilla turned to face the [Imperial Gift]. Her previous gentleness vanished in an instant, replaced by a stern expression. “Uproot all the trees over there.”

Rumble, rumble.

The moment Camilla’s words fell, the [Imperial Gift] quickly ran to the indicated location, deftly uprooted giant trees requiring two people to encircle, and returned to Camilla’s side. Due to its immense weight, the earth let out a deafening roar each time its foot touched the ground.

As if appraising it, Yisi stroked her chin thoughtfully and nodded.

“Mm-hmm, indeed very obedient. But that doesn’t prove it’s safe enough. Camilla, try a different command this time.”

“What is it?”

Whispering so the [Imperial Gift] couldn’t hear, Yisi told Camilla to order it to smash its own head. If it truly followed Camilla’s command, it would prove its obedience. If it didn’t, Yisi planned to destroy it herself. Although destroying Camilla’s “toy” was a pity, her safety came first.

As Yisi instructed, Camilla ordered the [Imperial Gift] to smash its head. Just like with uprooting the trees, it unhesitatingly swung its fist towards its head. Just as the fist was about to make contact, Camilla stopped it.

“Stop!”

Without a verbal response, the [Imperial Gift] instantly froze as if hit by a petrification spell, maintaining the pose with its fist about to strike its head, transitioning from extreme speed to stillness without any transition, making the change feel eerie.

Camilla looked questioningly at Yisi, who frowned slightly.

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“Umm, it did swing with the force to shatter its head just now, but I still have some doubts. These puppets are over level 40. Logically, the Empire wouldn’t casually leave such a precious ownerless puppet lying around outside. I worry this puppet is only temporarily obeying Camilla, and its true master is someone else—No, if that were the case, it wouldn’t have obeyed Camilla in the first place. Could Camilla have triggered some mechanism while trying to destroy it? But then, it should have resisted when she tried. Camilla, before you tried to destroy it, was it dormant or awake?”

“It was always near the spire, it seemed like it was protecting something inside. It kept hovering around me, which made me uncomfortable, so I thought about destroying it.”

“So it was active… And protecting something means it either has self-awareness or was ordered to stop intruders from entering the spire. In that case, obeying Camilla without even resisting… makes no sense at all.”

It can’t be that Camilla used mind control on it.

Wait.

An idea flashed through her mind. Yisi’s mouth fell slightly open. She thought of an incredible, yet most plausible explanation for the current situation.

This thing belonged to Camilla from the start.

Or rather, Camilla possessed the authority to command the [Imperial Gift]. Otherwise, the events that had transpired couldn’t be explained.

Recalling Camilla’s pure golden hair without any impurities and her fair skin—traits characteristic of the Norta Empire’s upper nobility—Yisi looked at Camilla with an increasingly strange expression. Various complex emotions mixed together, finally culminating in a muttered whisper.

“No way…”

Although she had guessed Camilla might have Norta noble status, she hadn’t expected her to be someone living in the royal city. Even if not royalty, she must be a very powerful noble.

“No, that Adonis’s eyes are also red.”

At this, Yisi quickly looked up at Camilla’s ruby-like eyes. If she remembered correctly, the Emperor of the Norta Empire, Adonis Eli Gloria’s eyes were almost identical to Camilla’s. Thinking back carefully now, apart from Adonis’s more angular facial features, making her less pretty compared to Camilla, their facial features were also very similar.

No wonder Gore asked me about the Eldest Princess back then! Was it because he saw Camilla, who resembles Adonis? That would explain why Gore’s gaze was fixed on Camilla when he first saw her companions. Although the two weren’t exactly alike, Gore, seeing Camilla, would only feel a sense of familiarity, not necessarily linking her to Adonis. But once the idea of resemblance arose, comparing the two side-by-side made the answer obvious.

Ahhh… so that’s how it is.

If she remembered correctly, the Imperial royal family favored close-relative marriage. And the current Emperor Adonis happened to dislike marrying his eight-year-old sister, Princess Vina. If she brought Camilla now, things would surely get complicated. She didn’t want her Camilla snatched away by someone else. Therefore, it was better to wait until Adonis married before taking Camilla to the palace to meet her relatives.

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Yisi gave a helpless, wry smile. Under normal circumstances, others would think her too selfish for not taking Camilla to meet her relatives just because she feared trouble. But the truth was, Camilla had absolutely no interest in her biological parents. A few days ago, when Yisi brought up finding them, Camilla had replied in a tone as if discussing someone else’s affairs. It was then Yisi realized that her searching for Camilla’s parents was merely her own self-satisfaction; Camilla herself had no such desire.

What a mess.

Yisi pressed her forehead in exasperation.

“Onee-sama, should the experiment continue?”

“No need. I already know the answer.”

Something made by the Empire naturally wouldn’t harm someone possessing its master’s bloodline. Camilla, being Imperial royalty, naturally had the authority to command the [Imperial Gift], and it would absolutely not harm her. Although she didn’t know why Camilla, lost in the southern Norta Empire, ended up in the northern Hels Kingdom, the fact was right before her eyes: Camilla was the Empire’s lost Eldest Princess.

“Completely don’t understand… Ah, speaking of which, while Onee-sama was following Red and Purple, I searched that spire a bit. It seems to be a place used to store confidential Imperial documents and letters. I found a letter inside that might be useful to Onee-sama. It was right on top of all the documents, so it was easy to find.”

Saying this, Camilla pulled a letter from the cleavage of her dress and handed it to Yisi—the paper carried a girl’s body heat and fragrance.

Even though her chest is padded, it has body heat.

Yisi subtly sniffed, then read the letter with a serious expression.

She couldn’t help but click her tongue.

“So it’s true. The Empire’s war against the Duchy of Chloe is just the beginning of their expansion plan. Claiming Lin killed the Eldest Princess is just a pretext for war.”

This meant even if she brought Camilla before Gore, the war wouldn’t stop because of it. The Empire wouldn’t give up its invasion just because they found the Eldest Princess; they never intended to spare the Duchy from the start. Coupled with the Gospel’s order for the Divine Religion to hold their ground, there was still much to be done.

Being Pope isn’t that easy, huh?

As if trying to banish all troubles, Yisi clapped her hands, looked at Red and Purple lying on the ground, and said lightly, “Let’s go back.”