Volume 10, Chapter 17 – Adonis’s Prayer

“Have you found out?”

Dressed in magnificent formal attire, predominantly white, Adonis was strolling through an open garden. She wore a cloak interwoven with blue-gold and gold threads and addressed the minister behind her.

Although they had been suddenly attacked by rebels of unknown origin upon entering the city that morning, the rebels’ strength was pitifully weak. Her side had annihilated and apprehended them all with almost no effort. But just because the incident was over didn’t mean she would treat it as if nothing had happened. To Adonis, the most important question was why these people had suddenly attacked her.

General Carl, walking behind Adonis, exchanged a glance with Bayldes beside him. He then stepped forward slightly, clasped his hands in a salute to Adonis, and reported respectfully.

“Your Majesty, we have completed the investigation. It’s just that the origin of these people…”

“There is no need to hesitate. Speak.”

“Yes. They all belong to an organization called the ‘Holy Council of Humanity.’ The members of this group are dissatisfied with the former emperor’s dealings with demons. They believe Your Majesty only won the civil war because you secretly colluded with demons. Upon learning you would be arriving in Wilfred, they gathered and planned to overthrow you, intending to support Her Highness Vina as the empire’s successor instead. Because they only operate along the coast, far from the royal capital, and their members are merely sailors and adventurers disgruntled with their lives, their strength is too meager, so we had not noticed this group until now.”

“Support Vina? Is Vina involved in this?”

Adonis, who wore her waist-length golden hair tied in a single ponytail with a white ribbon, turned around, her brow deeply furrowed. The Vina Carl mentioned was the empire’s third princess, the eight-year-old ‘Vina Carol Gloria.’ In earlier years, Adonis had been too busy with military campaigns and had little contact with this younger sister. But after settling down in recent years, the relationship between Adonis and Vina had gradually returned to that of normal sisters. Furthermore, Vina was a typically considerate and gentle girl; Adonis had never imagined Vina would move against her.

Carl hurriedly explained on Vina’s behalf.

“According to the rebels, they only established the Holy Council of Humanity after receiving Her Highness Vina’s approval. However, this subject speculates that Her Highness is perhaps simply poor at refusing others. Coupled with her youth, she likely didn’t understand the true meaning behind their words and was thus maliciously induced into agreeing to their actions.”

“Simply preposterous!”

Very rarely, Adonis’s voice rose several octaves. Even though Carl was a being who had surpassed the heroic domain, he couldn’t help but feel his heart pound in alarm. In Carl’s memory, Adonis had only been truly angry twice in her life: once when their father, the Emperor, was killed, and another time when someone Adonis liked suddenly became someone she detested. When a person who is usually calm suddenly gets angry, it tends to leave those around them at a loss. That was exactly how Carl felt now, regardless of his strength.

This is bad.

Carl couldn’t help but quietly clench his fists, a look of urgency flashing across his face. Even though Vina was royalty, if she were charged with treason, the worst outcome would be exile. Vina was only eight years old and had always lived a pampered life. Exiling Vina was tantamount to sentencing her to death. As someone who had watched both Princess Vina and Adonis grow up, the last thing Carl wanted to see was the sisters fighting each other.

Yet, at this moment, he couldn’t say a word. Even if Vina hadn’t understood the meaning behind their words when she agreed to let the people attacking Adonis form the so-called ‘Holy Council of Humanity,’ she had still committed an unforgivable crime.

“Your Majesty… please reconsider…”

“Vina has lived in the royal capital her whole life. How could she have had any opportunity to meet these people? They are lying! Torture them severely. We must find out how they disabled the magic airships and how they secretly tampered with the griffins. I do not believe a mere rabble could tamper with these things undetected. Unless the entire Wilfred city garrison mutinied along with them, it’s impossible for ordinary people to even get near the military barracks!”

So she doesn’t intend to punish Her Highness Vina.

Carl, who had been worried for a long time, let out a deep sigh of relief. He struck his chest with one fist and replied full of vigor.

“Yes!”

Adonis’s gaze shifted to Bayldes, who had kept his head bowed. Unlike General Carl, who had followed Adonis since long ago, Bayldes had only become one who surpassed the heroic domain after Adonis ascended the throne, thanks to the massive resources she invested in his training. Therefore, even though his status was on par with Carl’s——if Carl represented the warriors of the entire Norta Empire, then Bayldes was the leader of the magic casters——he still behaved more humbly than Carl.

“Bayldes, are the investigation results for the magic airships in? What was the problem?”

“Your Majesty, the magic circuits inside the magic airships were tampered with. When the airships’ magic power was depleted to a certain level, the circuits would instantly draw a massive amount of magic power, causing the circuits to collapse.”

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“Tamper with the magic circuits? How is that possible? Not only is it unlikely this rabble could get near the magic airships, but even if they did, they shouldn’t be able to alter the magic circuits from the Age of Gods.”

Although Adonis was only level twenty, she was a smith with considerable expertise in magic items and naturally understood knowledge related to magic circuits. Adonis had once studied the magic circuits on the airships in an attempt to reproduce a product of the gods. However, the principles of magic from the Age of Gods were completely different from the magical language used by humans today, as if they were languages from two different linguistic families. By Adonis’s estimation, it would take at least thirty years just to grasp the basics of the divine-era magic circuits. Thus, the project was terminated almost as soon as it began.

“Bayldes, are you certain the magic circuits on the airships were tampered with, and not just that someone planted flint stones on them?”

“Bayldes swears on his life, Your Majesty. Everything this subject has said contains no falsehoods.”

“Tsk.”

Adonis clicked her tongue.

Now that things had reached this point, even a fool could tell it wasn’t simple. This Holy Council of Humanity, supposedly formed by ‘disgruntled sailors and adventurers,’ had either shown only the tip of the iceberg of their strength, or someone else was helping them from behind the scenes.

For example, the remnants of the nobility who hadn’t been completely purged, or perhaps those demon-worshippers who revered demons. Given that the Holy Council of Humanity’s stated goal was to crusade against ‘Adonis, who deals with demons,’ the answer was likely the former.

Pinching her chin, Adonis frowned in thought. She remained silent for a long time before looking up again.

“We cannot let the Holy Council of Humanity run rampant. Since I am their target, let’s use this opportunity to root them out completely. As long as I remain in Wilfred, they won’t stop. Carl, increase the visible guard detail to saturation levels immediately. Then, spread a rumor that I will be heading out to sea one month from now. If I completely resolve the trouble at sea, I will return to the royal capital and marry Vina.”

“Your Majesty’s meaning is?”

“Hmph. I am giving them one more chance. Once Vina and I are married, the ‘legitimate succession’ that the Holy Council of Humanity uses as their pretext will lose all meaning. The Emperor will also not be visiting Wilfred, which is far from the capital, for a long time. Therefore, even if they know it’s a trap, they must spring it. If they miss this chance, they won’t get a second one.”

“But we will be isolated and without support at sea. We are already likely to face a demonic counterattack on this operation. If we are attacked from within at the same time, the outcome will likely be unfavorable for us.”

“This is the only way to completely dismantle those who are dissatisfied with my rule. Wilfred is protected by the Tower of Alexia; nothing there can threaten me. One month is enough time for the Tower of Alexia to recover its full magic power.”

Unlike the Hels Kingdom and the Blood Clan of Hyurent, the Norta Empire reclaimed the lands from the nobility. Therefore, ownership of the Towers of Alexia was also returned solely to the hands of the Norta Empire’s Emperor.

To put it in numbers, Adonis possessed control over five Towers of Alexia simultaneously. As long as she was within the coverage area of any of the towers, she could immediately take control of it. As for their management when Adonis was not present in the territory, she would grant usage rights to the appointed city lord. The red ray that Yisi saw this morning was fired by the city lord of Wilfred, who possessed those usage rights.

The determination in Adonis’s eyes made Carl pause. He dropped to one knee.

“As you command. This subject will defend Your Majesty’s safety with his life.”

“Mm, rise. By the way, where are Bradley and Schumann?”

Although Bradley hadn’t accompanied Adonis initially, citing palace repairs as his reason, he had suddenly changed his mind for some reason and came with Adonis to Wilfred City. As for Schumann, he was the city lord of Wilfred, appointed by Adonis.

The one who answered was Bayldes.

“Before coming here, this subject saw the Prime Minister scolding City Lord Schumann.”

“Those magic airships are all equipment for the Wilfred city garrison, normally used to monitor the sea. Now that there’s a problem, of course he must be held accountable. If Your Majesty hadn’t stopped me, Schumann would already be in my dungeon.”

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Adonis gently raised her hand, her pale palm facing the indignant General Carl.

“Carl, as the master of the Towers of Alexia, I can detect anyone who approaches me with malicious intent. Schumann is not the problem; he was just caught up in this.”

“Even so, as the city lord, Schumann bears responsibility for poor oversight.”

“Which is exactly why Lord Bradley is reprimanding him, isn’t it?” Adonis shrugged with a wry smile. Then, she caught sight of Bradley walking toward her out of the corner of her eye, and her wry smile turned into a gentle one. “See, here he comes.”

“Your Majesty.”

Performing the customary kneeling salute to Adonis, Bradley rose at her permission.

Adonis tilted her head, looking behind Bradley.

“Where is Schumann? I don’t see any sign of him.”

“Your Majesty, Schumann understands his mistake and is currently in his room repenting.”

Bradley’s choice of words made Adonis chuckle teasingly.

“Hehehe, if he’s going to repent, shouldn’t he do it in front of me? It’s not like I’m some unseen goddess.”

“As a key border official whom you personally promoted, he is too ashamed to face you.”

“Alright, alright. While from my personal perspective, I don’t mind not punishing Schumann, this incident of being attacked in front of the whole city happened. We must issue some punishment, or it will be difficult to maintain public confidence. How about this: remove Schumann from his post as city lord, and revoke his rights to operate the Tower of Alexia. As for where to transfer him, I’ll leave that to you, Bradley.”

After receiving an affirmative reply from Bradley, Adonis changed the subject.

“I saw something interesting this morning. Those magic airships that should have crashed suddenly stopped in mid-air, and then landed as if something was supporting them. Does anyone have any idea about this? It’s common sense that magic airships cannot fly in reverse.”

“Ah, I saw that too.”

Carl nodded in agreement.

“Er…”

“Bayldes, what did you want to say?”

Bayldes, having been called on by Adonis, twitched his eyebrows. His expression was extremely awkward, as if debating whether he should speak, and whether he would be mocked by his monarch and colleague if he did. He hesitated for a long time before finally speaking timidly.

“Well… this subject investigated a little. According to the soldiers who were piloting the magic airships at the time, they said the Goddess saved them.”

“The Goddess? Bayldes, I know the magic airships flying in reverse is absurd, but using the Goddess as an explanation? Is that a story for a three-year-old?”

“This subject is absolutely not lying! The soldiers piloting the airships even specifically described the Goddess’s divine power. They said the magic airships moved according to the wave of the Goddess’s arm, as if the Goddess was holding the airships with an invisible hand. This matches the results of my investigation into the airships’ damage——there are indeed marks on their surfaces consistent with being gripped by a giant hand.”

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“Hoh,” Adonis let out a flippant sound. “Could it be some high-level magic caster traveling within the empire?”

Carl, as one of the empire’s top powerhouses, quickly corrected her.

“Absolutely impossible, Your Majesty. Magic can destroy a magic airship, or even make it get swept away by the wind like a falling leaf, but it absolutely cannot support one and move it smoothly. The weight and volume of a magic airship dictate that no human can lift it. Even magic that lifts objects, like ‘Float Board,’ only works on lightweight items.”

“Not even you, Carl?”

“Yes. It is shameful, but this subordinate truly cannot lift a magic airship.”

“No, General Carl, there is one way to move a magic airship while supporting it.” Bayldes mused for a moment before speaking tentatively. “If one used a large-scale ‘Levitation’ spell to reduce the airship’s weight, and then pulled it with strength comparable to a dragon, it would indeed be possible to drag it.”

“But a large-scale ‘Levitation’ spell requires a large magic circle prepared in advance. And even if a human could exert strength equal to a dragon, they wouldn’t have the stamina of a real dragon. Pulling more than ten magic airships in a row, in just a few breaths, is not a feat a human can accomplish.”

Immediately after Carl, Bradley also gave his opinion.

“Could it be that several elven magic casters lifted the airships with magic simultaneously, and then a beastman warrior of immense strength guided them? If the elven magic casters were hidden in the shadows, and only the beastman warrior appeared before the soldiers, it would all make sense. As for the grip marks Lord Bayldes mentioned, I suspect they are merely marks left by the airships burning.”

“Mm, I also believe the truth is as Bradley says. Bayldes, I know you yearn for the origin of magic, but it is more beneficial for you to avoid speaking of ‘the Goddess.’ If other subjects were standing here instead of us, they would already be snickering.”

Adonis’s words made Carl and Bradley nod in agreement. Bayldes also had to admit that the existence of a ‘Goddess’ was too ethereal and difficult to believe. The group elaborated on this idea slightly, deciding to reward these elven magic casters and the beastman warrior who had aided the empire. They concluded the discussion by attributing the event to powerful passing adventurers, which was why the magic airships hadn’t crashed, and thus ended the topic.

The four individuals, who held the fate of the empire in their hands, continued their stroll along the garden path for a while longer before Bradley brought up another topic.

“Your Majesty, someone witnessed an Angel from the Age of Gods in the city today. I recall Your Majesty has long wished to study the magic circuits of the divine era. If an angel were to assist you, your skill in forging magic items would surely advance.”

“Oh? An angel?” Adonis raised an eyebrow with great interest. “Haven’t angels not appeared for hundreds of years? I recall the last angel who appeared led humanity in an assault into the Demon Lord’s castle, didn’t they? Rather than having her assist me in forging magic weapons, I would much rather have her help me drive away the demons. Anything else would be a criminal waste.”

“Hahaha…”

After two dry laughs, Bradley continued his respectful explanation.

“When the rebels attacked Your Majesty, this angel evacuated the populace on our behalf, as we were unable to free our hands to protect them. Furthermore, with powerful force, she intercepted the cannonballs that fell into the city, which were capable of destroying houses. Should we summon her before you under the pretext of a commendation?”

“Wait, she did all this alone?”

“No, and her companions. Ah! Dammit, while I was scolding Schumann, I actually forgot something this important! Your Majesty, this subject has discovered the whereabouts of Her Highness the First Princess!”

As he said this, Bradley trembled all over with excitement, while Carl and Bayldes at his side revealed expressions of shock and confusion, respectively.

For a moment, Adonis didn’t quite understand what was happening.

“The First Princess? Which First Princess.”

“Your imperial sister, Your Majesty! Before we departed, when we were discussing reparations in your study, this subject informed you that Gore had found the long-lost First Princess. You even nodded at the time, permitting this subject to dispatch people to retrieve her.”

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Did that happen?

Faced with Bradley’s tear-streaked, emotional expression, Adonis maintained a calm facade, but internally, a monstrous wave was raging.

Never mind that she had no memory of Bradley mentioning this; finding the First Princess meant she would likely face the outcome of being pressured by all the court officials to marry the First Princess—her sister whom she had never met—and produce an heir to the throne.

The only reason the high officials had agreed to let her abolish the rule of close marriage within the royal family was because the other royal, Princess Vina, was only eight years old. Even if she bit the bullet and married her sister Vina, they would have to wait at least eight or ten years for Vina to bear a child. Those aging officials, who had watched the emperor grow up, simply couldn’t wait that long. Therefore, to see the nation’s future sooner—and to meet their ‘granddaughter’ sooner—the officials had reluctantly agreed to abolish the law mandating marriage within the royal family. But if her sister, the empire’s First Princess, who was close to her in age, appeared now, the political winds would likely shift in an uncontrollable direction. When that time came, even she, the Emperor, probably couldn’t defy those officials of her grandfathers’ generation.

What was worse, she was actually a woman and couldn’t produce offspring——no, that wasn’t even the most critical problem. The most critical problem was that her heart already belonged to someone; it had no room for a second woman. In her plans, once she ended the conflict with the demons, she would go to the Duchy of Chloe to find her beloved.

That mysterious girl, beautiful as a goddess, who had utterly captivated her.

Wait.

As if struck in the back of the head with a pneumatic hammer, Adonis’s body suddenly swayed.

She finally understood why she felt like Bradley had never mentioned this. That day in the study, her mind had been entirely focused on the girl who had stolen her heart. Many of the things Bradley said simply hadn’t registered in her ears. The news about the First Princess must have been one of them.

In great anguish, Adonis pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Ugh… the First Princess, no, my imperial sister. Where is she?”

“This subject does not know… But judging from the out-of-control [Imperial Gift] and the report from that griffin knight, Her Highness the First Princess should be near Wilfred City. This subject believes we should immediately dispatch search parties and summon Her Highness to your presence——Your Majesty, your marriage problem is finally saved!”

As he said this, Bradley was so excited it looked as if he might drop to his knees before Adonis at any second.

What ‘saved’? This is a disaster!

Of course, Adonis could only think this inwardly; she couldn’t possibly show it. She swallowed hard and spoke with difficulty.

“Mm, let’s do that. By the way, I suddenly feel we should move up the plan to purge the demons. Change it from one month to one week. I’m afraid things might change if we drag this out.”

At this point, she could only finish things here as soon as possible to avoid meeting her sister. As long as she united with that dream-lover-like woman, then even if the First Princess was found, Bradley would no longer be able to argue using the abolished rules. In any country, a monarch can only have one official consort. That is the natural order.

But… When and how can I meet that girl who gave me such an indifferent look? After all, she clearly showed she disliked me. I have no confidence at all in winning her heart——realizing this only now, I’ve been far too thoughtless.

It was such a failure not to have learned techniques for winning a woman’s heart before.

While filled with regret, Adonis offered a prayer to the goddess. However, the goddess here was not the Goddess Ymir, but the goddess of love.

She hoped she could meet that cat-eared girl sooner, and at the same time, encounter her sister as late as possible.

However, to Adonis’s complete surprise, events quickly developed in the exact opposite direction of her wishes. She met her sister the very next day.