Chapter 129: Matters of the Royal City

The streets were bustling with activity, likely due to the festival period, as many facilities and shops that had been closed were reopening. With the new queen’s ascension, there was talk of a three-day celebration, and shops had crafted relevant events.

Even though a huge tragedy had recently occurred, it was fortunate that most of the victims were military personnel or security forces. Under Liliya’s arrangement, the care for the victim’s families was orderly, and the impact on civilians was not severe.

Thanks to magic, the battlefield’s remains and blood had been cleaned up, and apart from those buildings that had been reduced to ashes during the chaos, there was hardly any trace of the previous battle.

To quickly quell the calamity and soothe the people’s unease and fear, Liliya had specifically invited a world-renowned song and dance troupe to perform in various locations around the royal city for three days.

Moreover, the news of the new queen’s ascension seemed to have been announced through magical communication across the lands. Although Vilyric did not particularly care about the current situation, with Ban or any other princes not mucking things up behind the scenes, it probably wouldn’t lead to any significant issues.

By the way, the third prince, Patrick, appeared to have been demoted to the countryside for the crime of leading the military to chaos in the royal city. He had left yesterday, taking with him fewer than ten attendants.

As a prince of a powerful nation, this was quite a disgrace. Now that he had lost all power and Liliya had officially become queen with full authority, it’s likely that Patrick wouldn’t be able to stir up much trouble anymore.

After all, he was just a muscle-bound simpleton who thought too straightforwardly. Liliya had never considered him a fierce rival. If it weren’t for Ban’s scheming against Patrick, seizing his military to incite a rebellion, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state.

At the very least, he could have lived in the royal city like the fourth prince Devitt, enjoying a comfortable, albeit powerless, life as a prince.

The vampires, it seemed, had also quietly withdrawn from the City of Courage. The clash with the city guard hadn’t really inflicted severe damage on them, with most of the deceased being lowly blood kin or blood slaves.

High-level vampires had incredibly resilient lifeforces, comparable to the Undead of the Throne of Immortality, making them hard to kill by common means.

However, several high-ranking blood kin who had been engulfed by a dragon girl’s breath were definitely dead, obliterated to dust. Without their leadership, the remaining ones scattered like birds and beasts.

In the end, there hadn’t been a sighting of Princess Lucini; no one knew where she had been. In fact, Vilyric was quite interested in this legitimate loli.

When she arrived at the dungeon entrance, new city guards had been stationed there. The remains and blood from the battle a couple of days ago had already been entirely cleared, although the faint aura of death lingering in the air had yet to dissipate.

Speaking of which, Vilyric suddenly remembered that she had saved a group of kingdom soldiers who had yet to pass away—about a couple of dozen men. She wondered what happened to those guys eventually.

After all, by the time she emerged from the dungeon that night, the outside world had turned into another battlefield, so she hadn’t paid much attention to such trivial matters.

Oh well, it didn’t matter. After all, she hadn’t intervened just to gain favors.

Finding a deserted corner, she donned the Chameleon Cloak and, with soldiers in black armor passing by, walked into the dungeon as if she were invisible.

The first floor of the dungeon still looked the same as when she first entered. While the bodies and blood had been cleared away, it felt somewhat desolate.

After all, at least half of the jailers had died in that sudden invasion, and the hundreds of criminals locked away had all been wiped out due to Rebecca’s soul-draining.

Jailers could be replaced, but criminals wouldn’t just appear out of thin air, so what remained were just petty thugs caught in the chaos two days ago—not many in number.

The real culprits and powerhouses who colluded with Ban to stir trouble should be on the second floor of the dungeon, being watched over by the “Judgers.”

With the Chameleon Cloak covering her, Vilyric, having already made one trip here, smoothly followed the route she’d taken last time and quickly bypassed the occasionally patrolling guards, entering the second floor.

“Even though I’ve seen it before, it really does seem outrageous when I see it again…”

She commented as she took in the restructured forest of steel.

After thinking for a moment, Vilyric took off the cloak to reveal herself.

Although she felt confident that her invisibility wouldn’t be compromised, this place was full of traps—wandering around recklessly would probably trigger all sorts of nonsense.

Rather than causing a ruckus and then having to explain herself, it would be better to clarify things right at the door.

“Who dares to intrude in such a vital area? Surrender immediately!”

Sure enough, as soon as Vilyric dropped her invisibility, four or five black-clad guards surrounded her from hidden corners, accompanied by two large iron puppets that looked quite intimidating.

Vilyric had already sensed their presence.

Raising a hand to show she meant no harm, she pulled out the badge that Edith had given her as a token of sorts and displayed it to the guards.

“I’m here to see your boss. Does this prove my identity?”

The large, heavy badge forged from Ink Steel bore a golden mask-like pattern, quite similar to those worn by the guards.

Upon seeing the badge, the black-clad guards exchanged glances. In the end, one of them stepped forward and lowered his weapon.

“I remember now… It’s you. The boss did say that a distinguished guest would come with a token soon. Please follow me.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Not at all.”

The other guards resumed their posts, while the man, a bit awkwardly, led Vilyric through numerous traps and mechanisms, ultimately arriving at a certain door deep inside.

“This is…?”

Vilyric tilted her head, as the place the guard brought her to was not the room connected to numerous prison spaces where Edith had stayed, but a completely different area.

The man turned back, seemingly not quite accustomed, and cracked a smile, though wearing a half-mask, Vilyric could still tell.

“I saw you and your companion on the battlefield a couple of days ago. Although there might have been some misunderstandings at the time, I sincerely thank you both for your help. Please allow me on behalf of those comrades who survived because of you.”

Saying this, he bowed deeply to the black-haired girl before pointing at the door as if relieved.

“The boss is inside. She doesn’t usually stay in the central area. I’ll take my leave now. Please make yourself comfortable. May the spirits bless you, noble guest.”

Then, the man quietly exited the area, never removing his mask or revealing his name.

“Not bad at all… this bunch.”

With a wry smile, Vilyric pushed open the door and stepped inside.

   

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